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MARTIN FFTUPPER 



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LONDON: 

T. HATCHARD, 187, PICCADILLY. 

1855. 



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LONDON : 

G, T. PALMER, SAVOY STREET, STRAND. 

Herbert Pel! 
March 18, 1943 






fetotl 



FIRST SERIES. 



Page 

PREFATORY . ... . . 1 

THE WORDS OF WISDOM . . . . .4 

OF TRUTH IN THINGS FALSE .... 8 

OF ANTICIPATION . . _ . . .14 

OF HIDDEN USES . . . . . 17 

OF COMPENSATION . . . . .24 

OF INDIRECT INFLUENCES . . . 31 

OF MEMORY . . . . .38 

THE DREAM OF AMBITION .... 44 

OF SUBJECTION . . . . . .48 

OF REST . .... .^ 62 

OF HUMILITY . . . . . .67 

OF PRIDE ...... 73 

OF EXPERIENCE . . . . . .77 



Page 

OF ESTIMATING CHARACTER .... 81 

OF HATRED AND ANGER . . . . .94 

OP GOOD IN THINGS EVIL .... 97 

OP PRAYER ...... 105 

THE LORD'S PRAYER . . . . .112 

OP DISCRETION . . . . . .115 

OP TRIFLES ...... 120 

OP RECREATION . . . . . .125 

THE TRAIN OF RELIGION . . . .131 

OF A TRINITY ..... . 135 

OF THINKING ..... 141 

OF SPEAKING . . . . . .151 

OF READING ...... 157 

OF WRITING ...... 160 

OF WEALTH ...... 165 

OF INVENTION . . . . . 173 

OF RIDICULE ...... 178 

OF COMMENDATION . . . . .182 

OF SELF-ACQUAINTANCE .... 189 

OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS . . . . .198 

OF FRIENDSHIP ..... 202 

OF LOVE ....... 209 

OF MARRIAGE ..... 213 

OF EDUCATION . . . . . 221 

OF TOLERANCE . . . . . 235 

OF SORROW ..... 

OF JOY ...... 



244 



Contents. 



SECOND SERIES, 



INTRODUCTORY 
OF CHEERFULNESS 
OF YESTERDAY 
OF TO-DAY 
OF TO-MORROW 
OF AUTHORSHIP . 
OF MYSTERY . 
OF GIFTS 
OF BEAUTY . 
OF FAME 
OF FLATTERY 
OF NEGLECT 
OF CONTENTMENT 
OF LIFE 
OF DEATH . 
OF IMMORTALITY 
OF IDEAS 
OF NAMES 
OF THINGS . 
OF FAITH 



Page 
248 
252 
259 
266 
270 
275 
286 
298 
307 
328 
340 
353 
366 
374 
384 
395 
425 
430 
438 
443 



viii €ontmU> 

Page 

OF HONESTY . . 456 

OP SOCIETY ...... 466 

OP SOLITUDE ... . 480 

THE END ..... 486 




Wj^ 




(nrkriwal tjljilo&apljjr. 



(first seeies.) 



JttfatatB. 



Cn&flttjgStt, that have tarried in my mind, and peopled its 
inner chambers, 

The sober children of reason, or desultory train of fancy ; 

Clear-running wine of conviction, with the scum and the 
lees of speculation ; 

Corn from the sheaves of science, with stubble from 
mine own garner : 

Searchings after Truth, that have tracked her secret 
lodes, 

And come up again to the surface-world, with a know- 
ledge grounded deeper ; 

Arguments of high scope, that have soared to the key- 
stone of heaven, 

And thence have swooped to their certain mark, as the 
falcon to its quarry ; 

B 



2 ^xthkx^ 

The fruits I have gathered of prudence, the ripened har- 
vest of my musings, 
These commend I unto thee, docile scholar of Wisdom, 
These I give to thy gentle heart, thou lover of the right. 

TOhat, though a guilty man renew that hallowed theme, 

And strike with feehler hand the harp of Sirach's son ? 

What, though a youthful tongue take up that ancient 
parable, 

And utter faintly forth dark sayings as of old ? 

Sweet is the virgin honey, though the wild bee have 
stored it in a reed ; 

And bright the jewelled band, that circleth an Ethiop's 
arm; 

Pure are the grains of gold in the turbid stream of 
Ganges, 

And fair the living flowers, that spring from the dull 
cold sod. 

Wherefore, thou gentle student, bend thine ear to my 
speech, 

For I also am as thou art ; our hearts can commune to- 
gether : 

To meanest matters will I stoop, for mean is the lot of 
mortal ; 

I will rise to noblest themes, for the soul hath an heri- 
tage of glory : 

The passions of puny man; the majestic characters of God ; 

The feverish shadows of time, and the mighty substance 
of eternity. 

Commend thy mind unto candour, and grudge not as 
though thou hadst a teacher, 



Nor scorn angelic Truth for the sake of her evil herald ; 
Heed not him, hut hear his words, and care not whence 

they come ; 
The viewless winds might whisper them, the billows roar 

them forth, 
The mean unconscious sedge sigh them in the ear of 

evening, 
Or the mind of pride conceive, and the mouth of folly- 
speak them. 
Lo now, I stand not forth laying hold on spear and 

buckler, 
I come a man of peace, to comfort, not to combat ; 
With soft persuasive speech to charm thy patient ear, 
Giving the hand of fellowship, acknowledging the heart 

of sympathy : 
Let us walk together as friends in the shaded paths of 

meditation, 
Nor Judgment set his seal until he hath poised his 

balance ; 
That the chastenings of mild reproof may meet unwitting 

error, 
And Charity not be a stranger at the board that is spread 

for brothers. 



B 2 



%\t Maxte at mitim. 



jfcfo and precious are the words which the lips of Wis- 
dom utter: 
To what shall their rarity he likened ? What price shall 

count their worth ? 
Perfect and much to he desired, and giving joy with 

riches, 
No lovely thing on earth can picture all their heauty. 
They be chance pearls, flung among the rocks by the 

sullen waters of Oblivion, 
Which Diligence loveth to gather, and hang around the 

neck of Memory ; 
They be white-winged seeds of happiness, wafted from 

the islands of the blessed, 
Which Thought carefully tendeth, in the kindly garden 

of the heart ; 
They be sproutings of an harvest for eternity, bursting 

through the tilth of time, 



%\t WioxU rf SBfctom. 5 

Green promise of the golden wheat, that yieldeth angels' 

food; 
They be drops of the crystal dew, which the wings of 

seraphs scatter, 
When on some brighter sabbath, their plumes quiver 

most with delight : 
Such, and so precious, are the words which the lips of 

Wisdom utter. 

get more, for the half is not said, of their might, and 

dignity, and value ; 
For life-giving be they and glorious, redolent of sanctity 

and heaven: 
As the fumes of hallowed incense, that veil the throne 

of the most High ; 
As the beaded bubbles that sparkle on the rim of the cup 

of immortality; 
As wreaths of the rainbow spray, from the pure cataracts 

of truth : 
Such, and so precious, are the words wliich the lips of 

Wisdom utter. 

get once again, loving student, suffer the praises of thy 

teacher, 
For verily the sun of the mind, and the life of the heart 

is Wisdom ; 
She is pure and full of light, crowning grey hairs with 

lustre, 
And kindling the eye of youth with a fire not its own ; 
And her words, whereunto canst thou liken them ? for 

earth cannot show their peers : 
They be grains of the diamond sand, the radiant floor of 

heaven, 



6 % Matte d mxtiom. 

Bising in sunny dust behind the chariot of God ; 

They be flashes of the day-spring from on high, shed 

from the windows of the skies ; 
They be streams of living waters, fresh from the fountain 

of Intelligence : 
Such, aod so precious, are the words which the lips of 

Wisdom utter. 

jfor these shall guide thee well, and guard thee on thy 

way; 
And wanting all beside, with these shalt thou be rich : 
Though all around be woe, these shall make thee happy ; 
Though all within be pain, these shall bring thee health ; 
Thy good shall grow into ripeness, thine evil wither and 

decay, 
And Wisdom's words shall sweetly charm thy doubtful 

into virtues : 
Meanness shall then be frugal care ; where shame was, 

thou art modest ; 
Cowardice riseth into caution, rashness is sobered into 

courage ; 
The wrathful spirit, rendering a reason, standeth justi- 
fied in anger ; 
The idle hand hath fair excuse, propping the thoughtful 

forehead. 
Life shall have no labyrinth but thy steps can track it, 
For thou hast a silken clue, to lead thee through the 

darkness : 
The rampant Minotaur of ignorance shall perish at thy 

coming, 
And thine enfranchised fellows hail thy white victorious 

sails 



fffrt Matte at mtiam. 7 

Wherefore, Mend and scholar, hear the words of Wis- 
dom; 

Whether she speaketh to thy soul in the full chords of 
revelation ; 

In the teaching earth, or air, or sea; in the still melodies 
of thought; 

Or, haply, in the humhler strains that would detain thee 
here. 



<&XVQX is a hardy plant ; it flourisheth in every soil ; 

In the heart of the wise and good, alike with the wicked 

and foolish. 
For there is no error so crooked, but it hath in it some 

lines of truth : 
Nor is any poison so deadly, that it serveth not some 

wholesome use : 
And the just man, enamoured of the right, is blinded by 

the speciousness of wrong ; 
And the prudent, perceiving an advantage, is content to 

overlook the harm. 
On all things created remaineth the half-effaced signature 

of God, 
Somewhat of fair and good, though blotted by the finger 

of corruption : 
And if error cometh in like a flood, it mixeth with 

streams of truth ; 



And the Adversary loveth to have it so, for thereby- 
many are decoyed. 
Providence is dark in its permissions ; yet one day, when 

all is known, 
The universe of reason shall acknowledge how just and 

good were they ; 
For the wise man leaneth on his wisdom, and the 

righteous trusteth to his righteousness, 
And those, who thirst for independence, are suffered to 

drink of disappointment. 
Wherefore ? — to prove and humble them : and to teach 

the idolators of Truth, 
That it is but the ladder unto Him, on whom only they 

should trust. 

Chere is truth in the wildest scheme that imaginative 

heat hath engendered, 
And a man may gather somewhat from the crudest 

theories of fancy : 
The alchymist laboureth in folly, but catcheth chance 

gleams of wisdom, 
And findeth out many inventions, though his crucible 

breed not gold ; 
The sinner, toying with witchcraft, thinketh to delude 

his fellows, 
But there be very spirits of evil, and what if they come 

at his bidding ? 
He is a bold bad man who dareth to tamper with the 

dead ; 
For their whereabout lieth in a mystery — that vestibule 

leading to Eternity, 



10 df gmfy in &jmtgs <falae. 

The waiting-room for unclad ghosts, before the presence- 
chamber of their King. 
Mind may act upon mind, though bodies be far divided ; 
For the life is in the blood, but souls communicate 

unseen : 
And the heat of an excited intellect, radiating to its 

fellows, 
Doth kindle dry leaves afar off, while the green wood 

around it is unwarmed 
The dog may have a spirit, as well as his brutal master ; 
A spirit to live in happiness: for why should he be 

robbed of his existence ? 
Hath he not a conscience of evil, a glimmer of moral 

sense, 
Love and hatred, courage and fear, and visible shame 

and pride ? 
There may be a future rest for the patient victims of the 

cruel; 
And a season allotted for their bliss, to compensate for 

unjust suffering. 
Spurn not at seeming error, but dig below its surface for 

the truth ; 
And beware of seeming truths, that grow on the roots of 

error : 
For comely are the apples that spring from the Dead 

Sea's cursed shore, 
But within are they dust and ashes, and the hand that 

plucked them shall rue it. 

^ frequent similar effect argueth a constant cause : 
Yet who hath counted the links that bind an omen to its 
issue ? 



<Sf %xui\ m €§mp $ubz> 11 

Who hath expounded the law that rendereth calamities 

gregarious, 
Pressing down with yet more woes the heavy-laden 

mourner ? 
Who knoweth wherefore a monsoon should swell the 

sails of the prosperous, 
Blithely speeding on their course the children of good 

luck? 
Who hath companied a vision from the horn or ivory 

gate ? 
Or met another's mind in his, and explained its pre- 
sence ? 
There is a secret sowewhat in antipathies ; and love is 

more than fancy ; 
Yea, and a palpable notice warneth of an instant 

danger ; 
For the soul hath its feelers, cobwebs floating on the 

wind, 
That catch events in their approach with sure and apt 

presentiment, 
So that some halo of attraction heraldeth a coming 

friend, 
Investing in his likeness the stranger that passed on be- 
fore; 
And while the word is in thy mouth, behold thy word 

fulfilled, 
And he of whom we spake can answer for himself. 
man, little hast thou learnt of truth in things most 

true, 
How therefore shall thy blindness wot of truth in things 

most false ? 
Thou hast not yet perceived the causes of life or motion, 



12 #f ffnttjj in Swings Jaloe. 

How then canst thou define the subtle sympathies of 

mind? 
For the spirit, sharpest and strongest when disease hath 

rent the body, 
Hath welcomed kindred spirits in nightly visitations, 
Or learnt from restless ghosts dark secrets of the 

living, 
And helped slow justice to her prey by the dreadful 

teaching of a dream. 

©erily, there is nothing so true, that the damps of error 

have not warped it ; 
Verily, there is nothing so false, that a sparkle of truth 

is not in it. 
For the enemy, the father of lies, the giant Upas of 

creation, 
Whose deadly shade hath blasted this once green garden 

of the Lord, 
Can but pervert the good, but may not create the evil ; 
He destroyeth, but cannot build ; for he is not antago- 
nist deity : 
Mighty is his stolen power, yet is he a creature and a 

subject; 
Not a maker of abstract wrong, but a spoiler of concrete 

right: 
The fiend hath not a royal crown ; he is but a prowling 

robber, 
Suffered, for some mysterious end, to haunt the King's 

highway; 
And the keen sword he beareth, once was a simple 

ploughshare ; 
Yea, and his panoply of error is but a distortion of the 

truth: 



©f %xxxi\ m K^brgs <f ate. ] 3 

The sickle that once reaped righteousness, beaten from 

its useful curve, 
With axe, and spike, and bar, headeth the marauder's 

halbert, 
Seek not further, man, to solve the dark riddle of 

sin; 
Suffice it, that thine own bad heart is to thee thine origin 

of evil. 



14 



if ^ntitiptoi 



(53)tfU hast seen many sorrows, travel-stained pilgrim of 

the world, 
But that which hath vexed thee most hath been the 

looking for evil ; 
And though calamities have crossed thee, and misery 

been heaped on thy head, 
Yet ills, that never happened, have chiefly made* thee 

wretched. 
The sting of pain and the edge of pleasure are blunted 

by long expectation, 
For the gall and the balm alike are diluted in the waters 

of patience : 
And often thou sippest sweetness, ere the cup is dashed 

from thy lip ; 
Or drainest the gall of fear, while evil is passing by thy 

dwelling. 
A man too careful of danger liveth in continual torment, 



But a cheerM expecter of the best hath a fountain of 

joy within him : 
Yea, though the breath of disappointment should chill 

the sanguine heart, 
Speedily gloweth it again, warmed by the live embers 

of hope ; 
Though the black and heavy surge close above the head 

for a moment, 
Yet the happy buoyancy of Confidence riseth superior to 

Despair. 
Verily, evils may be courted, may be wooed and won by 

distrust : 
For the wise Physician of our weal loveth not an unbe- 
lieving spirit ; 
And to those giveth He good, who rely on His hand for 

good ; 
And those leaveth He to evil, who fear, but trust him not. 
Ask for good, and hope it7 for the ocean of good is 

fathomless ; 
Ask for good, and have it ; for thy Friend would see thee 

happy; 
But to the timid heart, to the child of unbelief and dread, 
That leaneth on his own weak staff, and trusteth the 

sight of his eyes, 
The evil he feared shall come, for the soil is ready for 

the seed, 
And suspicion hath coldly put aside the hand that was 

ready to help him. 
Therefore look up, sad spirit ; be strong, thou coward 

heart, 
Or fear will make thee wretched, though evil follow not 

behind : 



16 ©f ^utkipatfott. 

Cease to anticipate misfortune; there are still many- 
chances of escape ; 

But if it come, be courageous : face it, and conquer thy 
calamity. 

There is not an enemy so stout, as to storm and take the 
fortress of the mind, 

Unless its infirmity turn traitor, and Fear unbar the 



The valiant standeth as a rock, and the billows break 

upon him ; 
The timorous is a skiff unmoored, tost and mocked at by 

a ripple : 
The valiant holdeth fast to good, till evil wrench it from 

him; 
The timorous casteth it aside, to meet the worst half 

way: 
Yet oftentimes is evil but a braggart, that provoketh and 

will not fight ; 
Or the feint of a subtle fencer, who measureth his thrust 

elsewhere : 
Or perchance a blessing in a masque, sent to try thy 

trust, 
The precious smiting of a friend, whose frowns are all in 

love: 
Often the storm threateneth, but is driven to other 

climes, 
And the weak hath quailed in fear, while the firm hath 

been glad in his confidence. 



17 



§f f ftrta 



Wf)t sea-wort floating on the waves, or rolled up high 
along the shore, 

Ye counted useless and vile, heaping on it names of con- 
tempt: 

Yet hath it gloriously triumphed, and man been humbled 
in his ignorance, 

For health is in the freshness of its savour, and it cum- 
bereth the beach with wealth ; 

Comforting the tossings of pain with its violet-tinctured 
essence, 

And by its humbler ashes enriching many proud. 

Be this, then, a lesson to thy soul, that thou reckon no- 
thing worthless, 

Because thou heedest not its use, nor knowest the vir- 
tues thereof. 

And herein, as thou walkest by the sea, shall weeds be a 
type and an earnest 

c 



18 ®i %mm ftw. 

Of the stored and uncounted riches lying hid in all crea- 
tures of God : 
There be flowers making glad the desert, and roots fat- 
tening the soil, 

And jewels in the secret deep, scattered amongst groves 
of coral, 

And comforts to crown all wishes, and aids unto every 
need, 

Influences yet unthought, and virtues, and many inven- 
tions, 

And uses above and around, which man hath not yet re- 
garded. 

Not long to charm away disease hath the crocus yielded 
up its bulb, 

Nor the willow lent its bark, nor the nightshade its van- 
quished poison ; 

Not long hath the twisted leaf, the fragrant gift of China, 

Nor that nutritious root, the boon of far Peru, 

Nor the many-coloured dahlia, nor the gorgeous flaunt- 
ing cactus, 

Nor the multitude of fruits and flowers ministered to life 
and luxury : 

Even so, there be virtues yet unknown in the wasted fol- 
iage of the elm, 

In the sun-dried hare-bell of the downs, and the hyacinth 
drinking in the meadow, 

In the sycamore's winged fruit, and the facet-cut cones 
of the cedar ; 

And the pansy and bright geranium live not alone for 
beauty, 

Nor the waxen flower of the arbute, though it dieth in a 



Nor the sculptured crest of the fir, unseen but by the 
stars ; 

And the meanest weed of the garden serveth unto many- 
uses, 

The salt tamarisk, and juicy flag, the freckled orchis, and 
the daisy. 

The world may laugh at famine, when forest-trees yield 
bread, 

When acorns give out fragrant drink, and the sap of 
the linden is as fatness : 

Eor every green herb, from the lotus to the darnel, 

Is rich with delicate aids to help incurious man. 

J&till, Mind is up and stirring, and pryeth in the corners 

of contrivance, 
Often from the dark recesses picking out bright seeds of 

truth : 
Knowledge hath clipped the lightning's wings, and 

mewed it up for a purpose, 
Training to some domestic task the fiery bird of heaven; 
Tamed is the spirit of the storm, to slave in all peaceful 

arts, 
To walk with husbandry and science ; to stand in the 

vanguard against death : 
And the chemist balanceth his elements with more than 

magic skill, 
Commanding stones that they be bread, and draining 

sweetness out of wormwood. 
Yet man, heedless of a God, counteth up vain reckonings, 
Fearing to be jostled and starved out, by the too prolific 

increase of his kind ; 
And asketh, in unbelieving dread, for how few years to 

come c 2 



20 @f f iirhn tbea. 

Will the black cellars of the world yield unto him fuel 

for his winter. 
Might not the wide waste sea be pent within narrower 

bounds ? 
Might not the arm of diligence make the tangled wilder- 
ness a garden ? 
And for aught thou canst tell, there may be a thousand 

methods 
Of comforting thy limbs in warmth, though thou kindle 

not a spark. 
Tear not, son of man, for thyself nor thy seed : — with a 

multitude is plenty ; 
God's blessing giveth increase, and with it larger than 

enough. 

Search out the wisdom of nature, there is depth in all 

her doings ; 
She seemeth prodigal of power, yet her rules are the 

maxims of frugality : 
The plant refresheth the air, and the earth filtereth the 

water, 
And dews are sucked into the cloud, dropping fatness on 

the world : r 

She hath, on a mighty scale, a general use for all things ; 
Yet hath she specially for each its microscopic purpose : 
There is use in the prisoned air, that swelleth the pods 

of the laburnum ; 
Design in the venomed thorns, that sentinel the leaves 

of the nettle ; 
A final cause for the aromatic gum, that congealeth the 

moss around a rose : 
A reason for each blade of grass, that reareth its small 

spire. 



How knoweth discontented man what a train of ills 

might follow, 
If the lowest menial of nature knew not her secret office ? 
If the thistle never sprang up to mock the loose hus- 
bandry of indolence, 
Or the pestilence never swept away an unknown curse 

from among men ? 
Would ye crush the buzzing myriads that float on the 

breath of evening ? 
Would ye trample the creatures of God that people the 

rotting fruit? 
Would ye suffer no mildew forest to stain the unhealthy 

wall, 
Nor a noisome savour to exhale from the pool that 

breedeth disease? 
Pain is useful unto man, for it teacheth him to guard his 

life, 
And the fetid vapours of the fen warn him to fly from 

danger : 
And the meditative mind, looking on, winneth good food 

for its hunger, 
Seeing the wholesome root bring forth a poisonous 

berry ; 
For otherwhile falleth it out that truth, driven to extre- 
mities, 
Yieldeth bitter folly as the spoilt fruit of wisdom. 
0, blinded is thine eye, if it see not just aptitude in all 

things : 
O, frozen is thy heart, if it glow not with gratitude for 

all things : 
In the perfect circle of creation not an atom could be 

spared, 



22 #f fitita Wm. 

From earth's magnetic zone to the bindweed round a 
hawthorn. 

Che sage, and the beetle at his feet, hath each a mini- 
stration to perform : 

The briar and the palm have the wages of life, rendering 
secret service. 

Neither is it thus alone with the definite existences of 
matter ; 

But motion and sound, circumstance and quality, yea, 
all things have their office. 

The zephyr playing with an aspen-leaf, — the earthquake 
that rendeth a continent ; 

The moon-beam silvering a ruined arch, — the desert 
wave dashing up a pyramid ; 

The thunder of jarring icebergs, — the stops of a shep- 
herd's pipe ; 

The howl of the tiger in the glen, — and the wood-dove 
calling to her mate ; 

The vulture's cruel rage, — the grace of the stately swan ; 

The fierceness looking from the lynx's eye, and the dull 
stupor of the sloth : 

To these, and to all, is there added each its use, though 
man considereth it lightly : 

For Power hath ordained nothing which Economy saw 
not needful. 

9111 things being are in concord with the ubiquity of God ; 
Neither is there one thing overmuch, nor freed from 

honourable servitude. 
Were there not a need-be of wisdom, nothing would be 

as it is ; 



For essence without necessity argueth a moral weakness. 
We look through a glass darkly, we catch but glimpses 

of truth ; 
But, doubtless, the sailing of a cloud hath Providence to 

its pilot, 
Doubtless, the root of an oak is gnarled for a special 

purpose, 
The foreknown station of a rush is as fixed as the station 

of a king, 
And chaff from the hand of the winnower, steered as the 

stars in their courses. 
Man liveth only in himself, but the Lord liveth in all 

things; 
And Ins perrading unity quickeneth the whole creation. 
Man doeth one thing at once, nor can he think two 

thoughts together ; 
But God compasseth all things, mantling the globe like 

air: 
And we render homage to his wisdom, seeing use in all 

his creatures, 
For, perchance, the universe would die, were not all 

things as they are. 



24 



if tapsata. 



<£i£ual is the government of heaven in allotting pleasures 

among men, 
And just the everlasting law, that hath wedded happiness 

to virtue : 
For verily on all things else broodeth disappointment 

with care, 
That childish man may be taught the shallowness of 

earthly enjoyment. 
Wherefore, ye that have enough, envy ye the rich man 

his abundance ? 
Wherefore, daughters of affluence, covet ye the cottager's 

content ? 
Take the good with the evil, for ye all are pensioners of 

God, 
And none may choose or refuse the cup His wisdom 

mixeth. 
The poor man rejoiceth at his toil, and his daily meat is 

sweet to him : 



#f €am$zn$Mxan. 25 

Content with present good, he looketh not for evil to the 
future : 

The rich man languisheth with sloth, and findeth plea- 
sure in nothing, 

He locketh up care with his gold, and feareth the fickle- 
ness of fortune. 

Can a cup contain within itself the measure of a Ducket ? 

Or the straitened appetites of man drink more than their 
fill of luxury? 

There is a limit to enjoyment, though the sources of 
wealth be boundless : 

And the choicest pleasures of life lie within the ring of 
moderation. 

Sflso, though penury and pain be real and bitter evils, 
I would reason with the poor afflicted, for he is not so 

wretched as he seemeth. 
What right hath an offender to complain, though others 

escape punishment, 
If the stripes of earned misfortune overtake him in his 

sin? 
Wherefore not endure with resignation the evils thou 

canst not avert ? 
For the coward pain will flee, if thou meet him as a man : 
Consider, whatever be thy fate, that it might and ought 

to have been worse, 
And that it lieth in thy hand to gather even blessing from 

afflictions : 
Bethink thee, wherefore were they sent ? and hath not 

use blunted their keenness ? 
Need hope, and patience, and courage, be strangers to 

the meanest hovel ? 



26 #f €fjm$tnmtwn. 

Thou art in an evil case, it were cruel to deny to thee 

compassion, 
But there is not unmitigated ill in the sharpest of this 

world's sorrows : 
I touch not the sore of thy guilt ; hut of human griefs I 

counsel thee, 
Cast off the weakness of regret, and gird thee to redeem 

thy loss : 
Thou hast gained, in the furnace of affliction, self-know- 
ledge, patience, and humility, 
And these be as precious ore, that waiteth the skill of the 

coiner : 
Despise not the blessings of adversity, nor the gain thou 

hast earned so hardly, 
And now thou hast drained the bitter, take heed that 

thou lose not the sweet. 

Power is seldom innocent, and envy is the yoke-fellow of 

eminence ; 
And the rust of the miser's riches wasteth his soul as a 

canker. 
The poor man counteth not the cost at which such wealth 

hath been purchased; . 
He would be on the mountain's top, without the toil and 

travail of the climbing. 
But equity demandeth recompense: for high-place, ca- 
lumny and care ; 
For state, comfortless splendour eating out the heart of 

home ; 
For warrior fame, dangers and death ; for a name among 

the learned, a spirit overstrained ; 
For honour of all kinds, the goad of ambition , on every 

acquirement, the tax of anxiety. 



<M €om$znmtxon. 27 

He that would change with another, must take the cup 

as it is mixed : 
Poverty, with largeness of heart ; or a full purse, with a 

sordid spirit ; 
Wisdom, in an ailing hody; or a common mind, with 

health : 
Godliness, with man's scorn; or the welcome of the 

mighty, with guilt : 
Beauty, with a fickle heart ; or plainness of face, with 

affection. 
For so hath Providence determined, that a man shall not 

easily discover 
Unmingled good or evil, to quicken his envy or abhor- 

rence. 
A hold man or a fool must he he, who would change his 

lot with another ; 
It were a fearful bargain, and mercy hath lovingly re- 
fused it : 
For we know the worst of ourselves, but the secrets of 

another we see not, 
And better is certain bad, than the doubt and dread of 

worse. 

|$ust, and strong, and opportune is the moral rule of 

God; 
Eipe in its times, firm in its judgments, equal in the 

measure of its gifts : 
Yet men, scanning the surface, count the wicked happy, 
Nor heed the compensating peace, which gladdeneth the 

good in his afflictions. 
They see not the frightful dreams that crowd a bad man's 

pillow, 



28 #f €am$tTtmtwn. 

Like wreathed adders crawling round his midnight con- 
science ; 

They hear not the terrible suggestions, that knock at the 
portal of his will, 

Provoking to wipe away from life the one weak witness 
of the deed ; 

They know not the torturing suspicions that sting his 
panting breast, 

When the clear eye of penetration quietly readeth off 
the truth. 

Likewise of the good what know they? the memories 
bringing pleasure, 

Shrined in the heart of the benevolent, and glistening 
from his eye ; 

The calm self-justifying reason that establisheth the up- 
right in his purpose ; 

The warm and gushing bliss that floodeth all the thoughts 
of the religious. 

Many a beggar at the cross way, or grey-haired shepherd 
on the plain, 

Hath more of the end of all wealth, than hundreds who 
multiply the means. 

JHoreover, a moral compensation reacheth to the secrecy 

of thought ; 
For if thou wilt think evil of thy neighbour, soon shalt 

thou have him for thy foe : 
And yet he may know nothing of the cause that maketh 

thee distasteful to his soul, — 
The cause of unkind suspicion, for which thou hast thy 

punishment : 
And if thou think of him in charity, wishing or praying 

for his weal. 



&i Compensation:. 29 

He shall not guess the secret charm that lureth his soul 

to love thee. 
For just is retributive ubiquity : Samson did sin with 

Dalilah, 
And his eyes and captive strength were forfeit to the 

Philistine : 
Jacob robbed his brother, and sorrow was his portion to 

the grave : 
David must fly before his foes, yea, though his guilt is 

covered : 
And He, who, seeming old in youth, was marred for 

others' sin, 
For every special crime must bear its special penalty : 
By luxury, or rashness, or vice, the member that hath 

erred siuTereth, — 
And therefore the Sacrifice for all was pained at every 

pore. 

glike to the slave and his oppressor cometh night with 

sweet refreshment, 
And half of the life of the most wretched is gladdened 

by the soothings of sleep. 
Pain addeth zest unto pleasure, and teacheth the luxury 

of health ; 
There is a joy in sorrow, which none but a mourner can 

know : 
Madness hath imaginary bliss, and most men have no 

more ; 
Age hath its quiet calm, and youth enjoyeth not for 

haste : 
Daily, in the midst of its beatitude, the righteous soul is 

vexed ; 



30 #f $jam$zrtmtwxt. 

And even the misery of guilt doth attain to the bliss of 
pardon. 

Who, in the face of the born- blind, ever looked on other 
than content ? 

And the deaf ear listeneth within to the silent music of 
the heart. 

There is evil poured upon the earth from the overflowings 
of corruption, — 

Sickness, and poverty, and pain, and guilt, and madness, 
and sorrow ; 

But, as the water from a fountain riseth and sinketh to 
its level, 

Ceaselessly toileth justice to equalize the lots of men : 

For, habit and hope and ignorance, and the being but 
one of a multitude, 

And strength of reason in the sage, and dulness of feel 
ing in the fool, 

And the light elasticity of courage, and the calm resig- 
nation of meekness, 

And the stout endurance of decision, and the weak care- 
lessness of apathy, 

And helps invisible but real, and ministerings not unfelt, 

Angelic aid with worldly discomfiture, bodily loss with 
the soul's gain, 

Secret griefs, and silent joys, thorns in the flesh, and 
cordials for the spirit, 

(—Short of the insuperable barrier dividing innocence 
from guilt,— ) 

Go far to level all things, by the gracious rule ' of Com- 
pensation. 



3J 



§f Infert Inffaetm 



$&tt thy foe in the field, and perchance thou wilt meet 

thy master, 
For the sword is chained to his wrist, and his armour 

buckled for the battle ; 
But find him when he looketh not for thee, aim between 

the joints of his harness, 
And the crest of his pride will be humbled, his cruelty 

will bite the dust. 
Beard not a lion in his den, but fashion the secret pit- 
fall, 
So shalt thou conquer the strong, thyself triumphing in 

weakness. 
The hurricane rageth fiercely, and the promontory 

standeth in its might, 
Breasting the artillery of heaven, as darts glance from 

the crocodile : 
But the small continual creeping of the silent footsteps 

of the sea 



32 #f fnirimt litftamea. 

Mineth the wall of adamant, and stealthily compasseth 

its ruin. 
The weakness of accident is strong, where the strength 

of design is weak : 
And a casual analogy convinceth, when a mind beareth 

not argument. 
Will not a man listen ? be silent ; and prove thy maxim 

by example : 
Never fear, thou losest not thy hold, though thy mouth 

doth not render a reason. 
Contend not in wisdom with a fool, for thy sense maketh 

much of his conceit ; 
And some errors never would have thriven, had it not 

been for learned refutation : 
Yea, much evil hath been caused by an honest wrestler 

for truth, 
And much of unconscious good, by the man that hated 

wisdom : 
For the intellect judgeth closely, and if thou overstep 

thy argument, 
Or seem not consistent with thyself, or fail in thy direct 

purpose, 
The mind that went along with thee, shall stop and re- 
turn without thee, 
And thou shalt have raised a foe, where thou mightest 

have won a friend, 

faints, shrewdly strown, mightily disturb the spirit, 
Where a bare-faced accusation would be too ridiculous 

for calumny; 
The sly suggestion toucheth nerves, and nerves contract 

the fronds, 



#f Interject Inflame*. 33 

And the sensitive mimosa of affection trembleth to its 

root; 
x\nd friendships, the growth of half a century, those oaks 

that laugh at storms, 
Have been cankered in a night by a worm, even as the 

prophet's gourd. 
Hast thou loved and not known jealousy ? for a sidelong 

look 
Can please or pain thy heart more than the multitude of 

proofs : 
Hast thou hated, and not learned that thy silent scorn 
Doth deeper aggravate thy foe than loud-cursing ma- 
lice?— 
A wise man prevaileth in power, for he screeneth his 

battering engine, 
But a fool tilteth headlong, and his adversary is aware. 

Behold those broken arches, that oriel all unglazed, 

That crippled line of columns bleaching in the sun, 

The delicate shaft stricken midway, and the flying but- 
tress 

Idly stretching forth to hold up tufted ivy : 

Thinkest thou the thousand eyes that shine with rapture 
on a ruin, 

Would have looked with half their wonder on the perfect 
pile? 

And wherefore not — but that light hints, suggesting un- 
seen beauties, 

Fill the complacent gazer with self-grown conceits ? 

And so, the rapid sketch winneth more praise to the 
painter, 

Than the consummate work elaborated on his easel : 

D 



34 #f |tibmtt Inflames, 

And so, the Helvetic lion caverned in the living rock 
Hath more of majesty and force, than if upon a marble 
pedestal. 

Cell me, daughter of taste, what hath charmed thine ear 
in music ? 

Is it the laboured theme, the curious fugue or cento, — 

Nor rather the sparkles of intelligence flashing from some 
strange note, 

Or the soft melody of sounds far sweeter for simplicity ? 

Tell me, thou son of science, what hath filled thy mind 
in reading ? 

Is it the volume of detail where all is orderly set down 

And they that read may run, nor need to stop and think ; 

The book carefully accurate, that counteth thee no better 
than a fool, 

Gorging the passive mind with annotated notes ; — 

Nor rather the half-suggested thoughts, the riddles thou 
mayst solve, 

The fair ideas, coyly peeping like young loves out of roses, 

The quaint arabesque conceptions, half cherub and half 
flower, 

The light analogy, or deep allusion, trusted to thy learn- 
ing, 

The confidence implied in thy skill to unravel meaning 
mysteries ? 

For ideas are ofttimes shy of the close furniture of words, 

And thought, wherein only is power, may be best con- 
veyed by a suggestion : 

The flash that lighteth up a valley, amid the dark mid- 
night of a storm, 

Coineth the mind with that scene sharper than fifty 
summers. 



& worldly man boasteth in his pride, that there is no 

power but of money ; 
And he judgeth the characters of men by the differing 

measures of their means : 
He stealeth all goodly names, as worth, and value, and 

substance, 
Which be the ancient heritage of Virtue, but such an one 

ascribeth unto Wealth : 
He spurneth the needy sage, whose wisdom hath en- 
riched nations, 
And the sons of poverty and learning, without whom 

earth were a desert : 
Music, the soother of cares, the tuner of the dank dis- 
cordant heart-strings, 
It is nought unto such an one but sounds, whereby 

some earn their living : 
The poem, and the picture, and the statue, to him seem 

idle baubles, 
Which wealth condescendeth to favour, to gain him the 

name of patron. 
But little wotteth he the might of the means his folly 

despiseth ; 
He considereth not that these be the wires which move 

the puppets of the world. 
A sentence hath formed a character, and a character 

subdued a kingdom ; 
A picture hath ruined souls, or raised them to commerce 

with the skies : 
The pen hath shaken nations, and stablished the world 

in peace ; 
And the whole full horn of plenty been filled from the 

vial of science. 

» 2 



36 ®i |nbkerf Inflame*. 

He regardeth man as sensual, the monarch of created 

matter, 
And careth not aught for mind, that linketh him with 

spirits unseen ; 
He feedeth his carcase and is glad, though his soul he 

faint and famished, 
And the dull hrute power of the body bindeth him a 

captive to himself. 

;$Han liveth from hour to hour, and knoweth not what 

may happen ; 
Influences circle him on all sides, and yet must he an- 
swer for his actions : 
For the being that is master of himself, bendeth events 

to his will, 
But a slave to selfish passion is the wavering creature of 

circumstance. 
To this man temptation is a poison, to that man it 

addeth vigour ; 
And each may render to himself influences good or evil. 
As thou directest the power, harm or advantage will 

follow, 
And the torrent that swept the valley, may be led to turn 

a mill; 
The wild electric flash, that could have kindled comets, 
May by the ductile wire give ease to an ailing child. 
For outward matter or event fashion not the character 

within, 
But each man, yielding or resisting, fashioneth his mind 

for himself. 

J£ome have said, What is in a name ? — most potent 
plastic influence ; 



®i gnbterf fnftiwtee*. 37 

A name is a word of character, and repetition stablisheth 

the fact : 
A word of rebuke, or of honour, tending to obscurity or 

fame; 
And greatest is the power of a mean, when its power is 

least suspected. 
A low name is a thorn in the side, that hindereth the 

footman in his running ; 
But a name of ancestral renown shall often put the 

racer to his speed. 
Few men have grown unto greatness whose names are 

allied to ridicule, 
And many would never have been profligate, but for the 

splendour of a name. 
A wise man scorneth nothing, be it never so small or 

homely, 
For he knoweth not the secret laws that may bind it to 

great effects. 
The world in its boyhood was credulous, and dreaded 

the vengeance of the stars, 
The world in its dotage is not wiser, fearing not the in- 
fluence of small things : 
Planets govern not the soul, nor guide the destinies of 

man, 
But trifles, lighter than straws, are levers in the building 

up of character. 
A man hath the tiller in his hand, and may steer against 

the current, 
Or may glide down idly with the stream, till his vessel 

founder in the whirlpool. 



38 



4&f 3 m *l 



Wfytxt art thou, storehouse of the mind, garner of facts 

and fancies,— 
In what strange firmament are laid the beams of thine 

airy chambers? 
Or art thou that small cavern, the centre of the rolling 

brain, 
Where still one sandy morsel testifieth man's original ? 
Or hast thou some grand globe, some common hall of 

intellect, 
Some spacious market-place for thought, where all do 

bring their wares, 
And gladly rescued from the littleness, the narrow closet 

of a self, 
The privileged soul hath large access, coming in the 

livery of learning ? 
Live we as isolated worlds, perfect in substance and 

spirit, 



Each a sphere, with a special mind, prisoned in its shell 

of matter ? 
Or rather, as converging radiations, parts of one majestic 

whole, 
Beams of the Sun, streams from the Biver, branches of 

the mighty Tree, 
Some bearing fruit, some bearing leaves, and some dis- 
eased and barren, — 
Some for the feast, some for the floor, and some, — how 

many, — for the fire ? 
Memory may be but a power of coming to the treasury 

of Fact, 
A momentary self-desertion, an absence in spirit from 

the now, 
An actual coursing hither and thither, by the mind, 

slipped from its leash, 
A life, as in the mystery of dreams, spent within the 

limits of a moment. 

% brutish man knoweth not this, neither can a fool com- 
prehend it, 

But there be secrets of the memory, deep, wondrous, and 
fearful. 

Were I at Petra, could I not declare, My soul hath been 
here before me ? 

Am I strange to the columned halls, the calm dead gran- 
deur of Palmyra ? 

Know I not thy mount, Carmel ! Have I not voyaged 
on the Danube, 

Nor seen the glare of Arctic snows,— nor the black tents 
of the Tartar? 



40 ®i P*m0rg. 

Is it then a dream, that I remember the faces of them of 

old, 
While wandering in the grove with Plato, and listening 

to Zeno in the porch ? 
Paul have I seen, and Pythagoras, and the Stagyrite hath 

spoken me friendly, 
And His meek eye looked also upon me, standing with 

Peter in the palace. 
Athens and Rome, Persepolis and Sparta, am I not a 

freeman of you all ? 
And chiefly can my yearning heart forget thee, Jeru- 
salem ? — 
For the strong magic of conception, mingled with the 

fumes of memory, 
Giveth me a life in all past time, yea, and addeth sub- 
stance to the future. 
Be ye my judges, imaginative minds, full-fledged to soar 

into the sun, 
Whose grosser natural thoughts the chemistry of wisdom 

hath sublimed, 
Have ye not confessed to a feeling, a consciousness 

strange and vague, 
That ye have gone this way before, and walk again your 

daily life, 
Tracking an old routine, and on some foreign strand, 
Where bodily ye have never stood, finding your own 

footsteps ? 
Hath not at times some recent friend looked out an old 

familiar, 
Some newest circumstance or place teemed as with 

ancient memories ? 



#£ Pemrag. 41 

A startling sudden flash lighteth up all for an instant, 
And then it is quenched, as in darkness, and leaveth the 
cold spirit trembling. 

JHemory is not wisdom ; idiots can rote volumes : 

Yet what is wisdom without memory? a babe that is 

strangled in its birth, 
The path of the swallow in the air, the path of the dol- 
phin in the waters, 
A cask running out, a bottomless chasm : such is wis- 

dom without memory. 
There be many wise, who cannot store their knowledge ; 
Yet from themselves are they satisfied, for the fountain 

is within : 
There be many who store, but have no wisdom of their 

own, 
Lumbering their armoury with weapons their muscles 

cannot lift : 
There be many thieves and robbers, who glean and store 

unlawfully, 
Calling in to memory's help some cunningly devised 

Cabala : 
But to feed the mind with fatness, to fill thy granary with 

corn, 
Nor clog with chaff and straw the threshing-floor of 

reason, 
Reap the ideas, and house them well; but leave the 

words high stubble : 
Strive to store up what was thought, despising what was 

said. 
For the mind is a spirit, and drinketh in ideas, as flame 

melteth into flame; 



42 ®i jJfcmwB. 

But for words it must pack them as on floors, cumbrous 
and perishable merchandize. 

Co be pained for a minute, to fear for an hour, to hope 
for a week, — how long and weary ! 

But to remember fourscore years, is to look back upon 
a day. 

An avenue seemeth to lengthen in the eyes of the way- 
faring man, 

But let him turn, those stationed elms crowd up within 
a yard ; 

Pace the lamp-lit streets of some sleeping city, 

The multitude of cressets shall seem one, in the false 
picture of perspective ; 

Even so, in sweet treachery, dealeth the aged with himself, 

He gazeth on the green hill-tops, while the marshes be- 
neath are hidden ; 

And the partial telescope of memory pierceth the blank 
between, 

To look with lingering love at the fair star of childhood. 

Life is as the current spark on the miner's wheel of 
flints ; 

Whiles it spinneth there is light ; stop it, all is dark- 
ness: 

Life is as a morsel of frankincense burning in the hall 
of Eternity ; 

It is gone, but its odorous cloud curleth to the lofty 
roof: 

Life is as a lump of salt, melting in the temple-laver ; 

It is gone, — yet its savour reacheth to the farthest atom : 

Even so, for evil or for good, is life the criterion of a 
man, 



pLemorg. 



43 



For its memories of sanctity or sin pervade all the firma- 
ment of being. 

There is but the flitting moment, wherein to hope or to 
enjoy, 

But in the calendar of memory, that moment is all time. 



44 



%\t |«am til Jutt&itwra- 



I Htft the happy fields that smile around the village of 

Content, 
And sought with wayward feet the torrid desert of Am- 
bition. 
Long time, parched and weary, I travelled that burning 

sand, 
And the hooded basilisk and adder were strewed in my 

way for palms ; 
Black scorpions thronged me round, with sharp uplifted 

stings, 
Seeming to mock me as I ran ; (then I guessed it was a 

dream, — 
But life is oft so like a dream, we know not where we 

are.) 
So I toiled on, doubting in myself, up a steep gravel 

cliff, 
Whose yellow summit shot up far into the brazen sky ; 
And quickly, I was wafted to the top, as upon unseen 

wings 



Carrying me upward like a leaf : (then I thought it was 

a dream, — 
Yet life is oft so like a dream, we know not where we 

are.) 
So I stood on the mountain, and behold ! before me a 

giant pyramid, 
And I clomb with eager haste its high and difficult 



For I longed, like another Belus, to mount up, yea to 

heaven, 
Nor sought I rest until my feet had spurned the crest of 

earth. 

Chen I sat on my granite throne under the burning sun, 
And the world lay smiling beneath me, but I was wrapt 

in flames ; 
(And I hoped, in glimmering consciousness, that all this 

torture was a dream, — 
Yet life is oft so like a dream, we know not where we 

are.) 
And anon, as I sat scorching, the pyramid shuddered to 

its root, 
And I felt the quarried mass leap from its sand founda- 
tions: 
Awhile it tottered and tilted, as raised by invisible 

levers, — 
(And now my reason spake with me ; I knew it was a 

dream : 
Yet I hushed that whisper into silence, for I hoped to 

learn of wisdom, 
By tracking up my truant thoughts, whereunto they 

might lead.) 



46 %\t gtom 0f ^mbitiatt. 

And suddenly, as rolling upon wheels, adown the cliff it 

rushed, 
And I thought, in my hot brain, of the Muscovites' icy 

slope ; 
A thousand yards in a moment we ploughed the sandy 

seas, 
And crushed those happy fields, and that smiling village, 
And onward, as a living thing, still rushed my mighty 

throne, 
Thundering along, and pounding, as it went, the millions 

in my way : 
Before me all was life, and joy, and full-blown summer. 
Behind me death and woe, the desert and simoom. 
Then I wept and shrieked aloud, for pity and for fear ; 
But might not stop, for, comet-like, flew on the maddened 

mass 
Over the crashing cities, and falling obelisks and towers, 
And columns, razed as by a scythe, and high domes. 

shivered as an egg-shell, 
And deep embattled ranks, and women, crowded in the 

streets, 
And children, kneeling as for mercy, and all I had ever 

loved, 
Yea, over all, mine awf ul throne rushed on with seeming 

instinct,— 
And over the crackling forests, and over the rugged 

beach, 
And on with a terrible hiss through the foaming wild 

Atlantic 
That roared around me as I sat, but could not quench 

my spirit,— 
Still on, through startled solitudes we shattered the pave- 
ment of the sea, 



Down, down, to that central vault, the bolted doors of 

heU; 
And these, with horrid shock, my huge throne battered 

in, 
And on to the deepest deep, where the fierce flames were 

hottest, 
Blazing tenfold as conquering furiously the seas that 

rushed in with me, — 
And there I stopped: and a fearful voice shouted in 

mine ear, 
" Behold the home of Discontent ; behold the rest of 

Ambition !" 



48 



HaU3 hath dominion over all things, over universal mind 

and matter ; 
For there are reciprocities of right, which no creature 

can gainsay. 
Unto each was there added hy its Maker, in the perfect 

chain of being, 
Dependencies and sustentations, accidents, and qualities, 

and powers : 
And each must fly forward in the curve, unto which it 

was forced from the beginning : 
Each must attract and repel, or the monarchy of Order 

is no more. 
Laws are essential emanations from the self-poised cha 

racter of God, 
And they radiate from that sun to the circling edges of 

creation. 
Verily, the mighty Lawgiver hath subjected Himself 
unto laws, 



#f ^nbyttwxt. 49 

And God is the primal grand example of free unrestrained 

obedience ; 
His perfection is limited by right, and cannot trespass 

into wrong, 
Because He hath established Himself as the fountain of 
only good, 

And in thus much is bounded, that the evil hath He left 
unto another, 

And that dark other hath usurped the eyil which Omni- 
potence laid down. 

Unto God there exist impossibilities ; for the True One 
cannot he, 

Nor the Wise One wander from the track which He hath 
determined for Himself : 

For his will was purposed from eternity, strong in the 
love of order ; 

And that will altereth not, as the law of the Medes and 
Persians. 

God is the origin of order, and the first exemplar of his 
precept ; 

For there is subordination of his Essence, self-guided 
unto holiness ; 

And there is subordination of his Persons, in due pro- 
cession of dignity ; 

For the Son, as a son, is subject ; and to him doth the 
Spirit minister : 

But these things be mysteries to man, he cannot reach 
nor fathom them, 

And ever must he speak in paradox, when labouring to 
expound his God ; 

For, behold, God is alone, mighty in unshackled free- 
dom ; 



50 df $nhjzrtxaxt. 

And with those wondrous Persons abideth eternal equality. 

J^o then, start ye from the fountain, and follow the river 

of existence ; 
For its current is hounded throughout by the banks of 
just subordination : 

Thrones, and dominions, and powers, Archangels, Che- 
rubim, and Seraphim, 

Angels, and naming ministers, and breathing chariots 
and harps. 

For there are degrees in heaven, and varied capabilities 
of bliss, 

And steps in the ladder of Intelligence, and ranks in ap- 
proaches to Perfection : 

Doubtless, reverence is given, as their due, to the mas- 
ters in wisdom ; 

Doubtless, there are who serve ; or a throne would have 
small glory, 

Regard now the universe of matter, the substance of 
visible creation, 

Which of old with well-observing truth, the Greek hath 
surnamed Okdek : 

Where is there an atom out of place ? or a particle that 
yieldeth not obedience ? 

Where is there a fragment that is free ? or one thing the 
equal of another ? — 

The chain is unbroken down to man, and beyond him 
the links are perfect : 

But he standeth solitary sin, a marvel of permitted chaos. 

^[nd shall this seeming error in the scale of due subor- 
dination 



#f Steljjettimr. 51 

Be a spot of desert unreclaimed, in the midst of the vine- 
yard of the Lord? 

Shall his presumptuous pride snap the safe tether of con- 
nexion, 

And his hlind selfish folly refuse the burden of mainten- 
ance? 

man, thou art a creature ; boast not thyself above the 
law: 

Think not of thyself as free : thou art bound in the 
trammels of dependence. 

What is the sum of thy duty, but obedience to righteous 
rule; 

To the great commanding Oracle, uttered by delegated 
organs ? 

Thou canst not render homage to abstract Omnipresent 
Power, 

Save through the concrete symbol of visible ordained 
authority. 

Those who obey not man, are offcenest found rebels 
against God ; 

And seldom is the delegate so bold, as to order what he 
knoweth to be wrong. 

Yet mark me, proud gainsayer ! I say not, obey unto sin ; 

But, where the Principal is silent, take heed thou despise 
not the Deputy : 

And He that loveth order, will bless thee for thy faith, 

If thou recognize His sanction in the powers that fashion 
human laws. 

Chou, the vicegerent of the Lord, His high anointed 
image, 

e 2 



52 . #f Stthjotimr. 

Towards whom a good man's loyalty floweth from the 

heart of his religion, 
Thou, whose deep responsibilities are fathomed by a na- 
tion's prayers, 
Whom wise men fear for while they love, and envy thee 

nothing but thy virtues, 
From thy dizzy pinnacle of greatness, remember thou 

also art a subject, 
And the throne of thine earthly glory is itself but the 

footstool of thy God. 
The homage thy kingdoms yield thee, regard thou as 

yielded unto Him ; 
And while girt with all the majesty of state, consider thee 

the Lord's chief servant; 
So shalt thou prosper, and be strong, grafted on the 

strength of Another ; 
So shall thy virgin heart be happy, in being humble. 
And thou shalt flourish as an oak, the monarch of thine 

island forests, 
Whose deep-dug roots are twisted around the stout ribs 

of the globe, 
That mocketh at the fury of the storm, and rejoiceth in 

summer sunshine, 
Glad in the smiles of heaven, and great in the stability 

of earth. 

& ruler hath not power for himself, neither is his pomp 

for his pride ; 
But beneath the ermine of his oflice should he wear the 

rough hair-cloth of humility. 
Nevertheless, every way obey him, so thou break not a 

higher commandment ; 



©f Sttbjwtimt* 53 

For Nero was an evil king, yet Paul prescribeth subjec- 
tion. 

If the rulers of a nation be boly, the Lord hath blessed 
that nation ; 

If they be lewd and impious, chastisement hath come 
upon that people : 

For the bitterest scourge of a land is ungodliness in them 
that govern it, 

And the guilt of the sons of Josiah drove Israel weeping 
into Babylon. 

Yet be thou resolute against them, if they change the 
mandates of thy God, 

If they touch the ark of his covenant, wherein all his 
mercies are enshrined : 

Be resolute, but not rebellious ; lest thou be of the com- 
pany of Koran : 

Set thy face against them as a flint : but be not num- 
bered with Abiram. 

Daniel nobly disobeyed ; but not from a spirit of sedi- 
tion ; 

And Azarias shouted from the furnace, — I will not bow 
down, king. 

If truth must be sacrificed to unity, then faithfulness 
were folly ; 

If man must be obeyed before God, the martyrs have 
bled in vain : 

Yet none of that blessed army reviled the rulers of the 
land, 

They were loud and bold against the sin, but bent before 
the ensign of authority. 

Honesty, scorning compromise, walketh most suitably 
with Reverence ; 



54 ®f ^nhprtxaxt. 

Otherwise righteous daring may show but as obstinate 

rebellion : 
Therefore, suffer not thy censure to lack the savour of 

courtesy, 
And remember, the mortal sinneth, but the staff of his 

power is from God. 

;$Han, thou hast a social spirit, and art deeply indebted 
to thy kind : 

Therefore claim not all thy rights; but yield, for thine 
own advantage. 

Society is a chain of obligations, and its links must sup- 
port each other ; 

The branch can not but wither, that is cut from the parent 
vine. 

Wouldst thou be a dweller in the woods, and cast away 
the cords that bind thee, 

Seeking, in thy bitterness or pride, to be exiled from thy 
fellows ? 

Behold, the beasts shall hunt thee, weak, naked, house- 
less outcast, 

Disease and Death shall track thee out, as bloodhounds 
in the wilderness : 

Better to be vilest of the vile, in the hated company of 
men, 

Than to live a solitary wretch, dreading and wanting all 
things; 

Better to be chained to thy labour, in the dusky thorough- 
fares of life, 

Than to reign monarch of Sloth, in lonesome savage 
freedom. 



Whence then cometh the doctrine, that all should be 
equal and free ? — 

It is the lie that crowded hell, when Seraphs flung away 
subjection. 

No man is his neighbour's equal, for no two minds are 
similar, 

And accidents, alike with qualities, have every shade but 
sameness : 

The lightest atom of difference shall destroy the nice 
balance of equality, 

And all things, from without and from within, make one 
man to differ from another. 

We are equal and free ! was the watchword that spirited 
the legions of Satan ; 

We are equal and free ! is the double lie that entrappeth 
to him conscripts from earth : 

The messengers of that dark despot will pander to thy 
license and thy pride, 

And draw thee from the crowd where thou art safe, to 
seize thee in the solitary desert. 

Woe unto him whose heart the syren song of Liberty 
hath charmed : 

Woe unto him whose mind is bewitched by her treache- 
rous beauty; 

In mad zeal flingeth he away the fetters of duty and re- 
straint, 

And yieldeth up the holocaust of self to that fair Idol of 
the Damned. 

No man hath freedom in aught, save in that from which 
the wicked would be hindered, 

He is free toward God and good ; but to all else a bond- 
man. 



56 df'Sttljerftotr. 

Chou art in a middle sphere, to render and receive 
honour ; 

If thy king commandeth, obey; and stand not in the 
way with rebels : 

But if need be, lay thy hand upon thy sword, and fear 
not to smite a traitor, 

For the universe acquitteth thee with honour, fighting in 
defence of thy king. 

If a thief break thy dwelling, and thou take him, it were 
sin in thee to let him go ; 

Yea, though he pleadeth to thy mercy, thou canst not 
spare him and be blameless : 

Tor his guilt is not only against thee, it is not thy mo- 
nies or thy merchandize, 

But he hath done damage to the Law, which duty con- 
straineth thee to sanction. 

Feast not thine appetite of vengeance, remembering thou 
also art a man, 

But weep for the sad compulsion, in which the chain of 
Providence hath bound thee : 

Mercy is not thine to give ; wilt thou steal another's pri- 
vilege ? 

Or send abroad, among thy neighbours, a felon whom 
impunity hath hardened ? 

Remember the Roman father, strong in his stern in- 
tegrity, 

And let not thy slothful self-indulgence make thee a con- 
niver at the crime. 

Also, if the knife of the murderer be raised against thee 
or thine, 

And through good providence and courage, thou slay 
him that would have slain thee, 



Thou Ibsest not a tittle of thy rectitude, having executed 

sudden justice ; 
Still mayst thou walk among the blessed, though thy 

hands he red with blood. 
For thyself, thou art neither worse nor better ; but thy 

fellows should count thee their creditor : 
Thou hast manfully protected the right, and the right is 

stronger for thy deed. 
Also, in the rescuing of innocence, fear not to smite the 

ravisher ; 
What though he die at thy hand ? for a good name is 

better than the life ; 
And if Phinehas had everlasting praise in the matter of 

Salu's son, 
With how much greater honour standeth such a rescuer 

acquitted ? 
Uphold the laws of thy country, and fear not to fight in 

their defence ; 
But first be convinced in thy mind ; for herein the 

doubter sinneth. 
Above all things, look thou well around, if indeed stern 

duty forceth thee 
To draw the sword of justice, and stain it with the 

slaughter of thy fellows. 

JJ>he, that lieth in thy bosom, the tender wife of thy affec- 
tions, 

Must obey thee, and be subject, that evil drop not on 
thy dwelling. 

The child that is used to constraint, feareth not more 
than he loveth ; 

But give thy son his way, he will hate thee and scorn 
thee together. 



58 #f Sttbjwtxim. 

The master of a well-ordered home knoweth to be kind 
to his servants ; 

Yet he exacteth reverence, and each one feareth at his 
post. 

There is nothing on earth so lowly, but duty giveth it 
importance ; 

No station so degrading, but it is ennobled by obe- 
dience : 

Yea, break stones upon the highway, acknowledging the 
Lord in thy lot, 

Happy shalt thou be, and honourable, more than many 
children of the mighty. 

Thou that despisest the outward forms, beware thou lose 
not the inward spirit ; 

For they are as words unto ideas, as symbols to things 
unseen. 

Keep then the form that is good ; retain, and do rever- 
ence to example ; 

And in all things observe subordination, for that is the 
whole duty of man. 

§1 horse knoweth his rider, be he confident or timid, 
And the fierce spirit of Bucephalus stoopeth unto none 

but Alexander ; 
The tigress, roused in the jungle by the prying spaniels 

of the fowler, 
Will quail at the eye of man, so he assert his dignity; 
Nay, the very ships, those giant swans breasting the 

mighty waters, 
Eoll in the trough, or break the wave, to the pilot's fear 

or courage : 
How much more shall man, discerning the Fountain of 

authority, 



#f %nhjjtttwxt. 59 

Bow to superior commands, and make his own obeyed. 

And yet, in travelling the world, hast thou not often 
known 

A gallant host led on to ruin by a feeble Xerxes ? 

Hast thou not often seen the wanton luxury of indolence 

Sullying with its sleepy mist the tarnished crown of head- 
ship? 

Alas ! for a thousand fathers, whose indulgent sloth 

Hath emptied the vial of confusion over a thousand 
homes : 

Alas ! for the palaces and hovels, that might have been 
nurseries for heaven, 

By hot intestine broils blighted into schools for hell : 

None knoweth his place, yet all refuse to serve, 

None weareth the crown, yet all usurp the sceptre ; 

And perchance some fiercer spirit, of natural nobility of 
mind, 

That needed but the kindness of constraint to have grown 
up great and good>_ 

Now — the rich harvest of his heart choked by unweeded 
tares, — 

All bold to dare and do, unchecked by wholesome fear, 

A scoffer about bigotry and priestcraft, a rebel against 
government and God, 

And standard-bearer of the turbulent, leading on the 
sons of Belial, 

Such an one is king of that small state, head tyrant of 
the thirty, 

Brandishing the torch of discord in his village-home : 

And the timid Eli of the house, yon humble parish- 
priest, 

Liveth in shame and sorrow, fearing his own handy- 
work : 



60 §i %xthjtdwn. 

The mother, heartstricken years agone, hath dropped 

into an early grave ; 
The silent sisters long to leave a home they cannot love ; 
The brothers, casting off restraint, follow their wayward 

wills; 
And the chance-guest, early departing, blesseth his kind 

stars, 
That on his humbler home hath brooded no domestic 

curse ! 
Yet is that curse the fruit ; wouldest thou the root of the 

evil? 
A kindness — most unkind, that hath always spared the 

rod; 
A weak and numbing indecision in the mind that should 

be master ; 
A foolish love, pregnant of hate, that never frowned on 

sin; 
A moral cowardice of heart, that never dared command. 

% kingdom is a nest of families, and a family a small 
kingdom ; 

And the government of whole or part differeth in nothing 
but extent. 

The house, where the master ruleth, is strong in united 
subjection, 

And the only commandment with promise, being ho- 
noured, is a blessing to that house : 

But and if he yieldeth up the reins, it is weak in dis- 
cordant anarchy, 

And the bonds of love and union melt away, as ropes of 
sand. 

The realm, that is ruled with vigour, lacketh neither 
peace nor glory, 



©f Swbytihxt. 61 

It dreadeth not foes from without, nor the sons of riot 
from within : 

But the meanness of temporizing fear rohbeth a kingdom 
of its honour, 

And the weakness of indulgent sloth ravageth its bowels 
with discord. 

The best of human governments is the patriarchal rule ; 

The authorized supremacy of one, the prescriptive sub- 
jection of many : 

Therefore, the children of the east have thriven from age 
to age, 

Obeying, even as a god, the royal father of Cathay : 

Therefore, to this our day, the Rechabite wanteth not a 
man, 

But they stand before the Lord, forsaking not the man- 
date of their sire : 

Therefore shall Magog among nations arise from his 
northern lair, 

And rend, in the fury of his power, the insurgent world 
beneath him : 

For the thunderbolt of concentrated strength can be 
hurled by the will of one, 

While the dissipated forces of many are harmless as 
summer lightning. 



62 



m %wi 



3En the silent watches of the night, calm night that 

hreedeth thoughts, 
When the task-weary mind disporteth in the careless 

play-hours of sleep, 
I dreamed ; and hehold, a valley, green and sunny and 

well watered, 
And thousands moving across it, thousands and tens of 

thousands : 
And though many seemed faint and toil-worn, and 

stum hied often, and fell, 
Yet moved they on unresting, as the ever-flowing cata- 
ract. 
Then I noted adders in the grass, and pitfalls under the 

flowers, 
And chasms yawned among the hills, and the ground 

was cracked and slippery : 
But Hope and her hrother Fear suffered not a foot to 

linger ; ♦ 



m $*at 63 

Bright phantoms of false joys beckoned alluringly for- 
ward, 
While yelling grisly shapes of dread came hunting on 

behind : 
And ceaselessly, like Lapland swarms, that miserable 

crowd sped along 
To the mist-involved banks of a dark and sullen river. 
There saw I, midway in the water, standing a giant 

fisher, 
And he held many lines in his hand, and they called him 

Iron Destiny. 
So I tracked those subtle chains, and each held one 

among the multitude : 
Then I understood what hindered, that they rested not 

in their path : 
For the fisher had sport in his fishing, and drew in his 

lines continually, 
And the new-bom babe, and the aged man, were dragged 

. into that dark river: 
And he pulled all those myriads along, and none might 

rest by the way, 
Till many, for sheer weariness, were eager to plunge into 

the drowning stream. 

J^o I knew that valley was Life, and it sloped to the 

waters of Death. 
But far on the thither side spread out a calm and silent 

shore, 
Where all was tranquil as a sleep, and the crowded 

strand was quiet : 
And I saw there many I had known, but their eyes 

glared chillingly upon me, 



64 m %mt 

As set in deepest slumber ; and they pressed their fingers 

to their lips. 
Then I knew that shore was the dwelling of Eest, where 

spirits held their Sabbath, 
And it seemed they would have told me much, but they 

might not break that silence ; 
For the law of their being was mystery : they glided on, 

hushing as they went. 
Yet further, under the sun, at the roots of purple moun- 
tains, 
I noted a blaze of glory, as the night-fires on northern 

skies ; 
And I heard the hum of joy, as it were a sea of melody ; 
And far as the eye could reach, were millions of happy 

creatures 
Basking in the golden light ; and I knew that land was 

Heaven. 
Then the hill whereon I stood split asunder, and a crater 

yawned at my feet, 
Black and deep and dreadful, fenced round with ragged 

rocks ; 
Dimly was the darkness lit up by spires of distant 

flame : 
And I saw below a moving mass of life, like reptiles bred 

in corruption, 
Where all was terrible unrest, shrieks and groans and 
thunder. 

J£o I woke, and I thought upon my dream; for it seemed 

of wisdom's ministration. 
What man is he that findeth rest, though he hunt for it 

year after year ? 



•f %t%t 65 

As a child he had not yet heen wearied, and cared not 

then to court it ; 
As a youth he loved not to he quiet, for excitement spur- 
red him into strife ; 
As a man he tracketh rest in vain, toiling painfully to 

catch it, 
But still is he pulled from the pursuit, hy the strong 

compulsion of his fate : 
So he hopeth to have peace in old age, as he cannot rest 

in manhood, 
But troubles thicken with his years, till Death hath 

dodged him to the grave. 
There remaineth a rest for the spirit on the shadowy side 

of life; 
But unto this world's pilgrim no rest for the sole of his 

foot. 
Ever, from stage to stage, he travelleth wearily forward, 
And though he pluck flowers by the way, he may not 

sleep among the flowers. 
Mind is the perpetual motion ; for it is a running stream 
From an unfathomable source, the depth of the divine 

Intelligence : 
And though it be stopped in its flowing, yet hath it a 

current within, 
The surface may sleep unruffled, but underneath are 

whirlpools of contention. 
Seekest thou rest, mortal? — seek it no more on 

earth, 
For destiny will not cease from dragging thee through 

the rough wilderness of life ; 
Seekest thou rest, immortal ? — hope not to find it in 

Heaven, 



66 #f $wt 

For sloth yieldeth not happiness : the bliss of a spirit is 
action. 

Best dwelleth onlyon an island in the midst of the ocean 
of existence, 

Where the world-weary soul for a while may fold its tired 
wings, 

Until, after short sufficient slumber, it is quickened unto 
deathless energy, 

And speedeth in eagle flight to the Sun of unapproach- 
able perfection. 



67 



#f fraralitg* 



Witt is grown aweary of her gawds, and donneth russet 

garments, 
Loving for change to walk as a nun, beneath a modest 

veil: 
For Pride hath noted how all admire the fairness of 

Humility, 
And to clutch the praise he coveteth, is content to be 

drest in hair-cloth ; 
And wily Lust tempteth the young heart, that is proof 

against the bravery of harlots, 
With timid tears and retiring looks of an artful seeming 

maid; 
And indolent Apathy, sleepily ashamed of his dull lack- 
lustre face, 
Is glad of the livery of meekness, that charitable cloak 

and cowl ; 
And Hatred hideth his demon frown beneath a gentle 

maskj 

f 2 



68 <©f pttmUxtg. 

And Slander, snake-like, creepeth in the dust, thinking 

to escape recrimination. 
But the world hath gained somewhat from its years, and 

is quick to penetrate disguises, 
Neither in all these is it easily deceived, but rightly 

divideth the true from the false. 

fi^et there is a meanness of spirit, that is fair in the eyes 

of most men, 
Yea, and seemeth fair unto itself, loving to be thought 

Humility. 
Its choler is not roused by insolence, neither do injuries 

disturb it : 
Honest indignation is strange unto its breast, and just 

reproof unto its lip. 
It shrinketh, looking fearfully on men, fawning at the 

feet of the great ; 
The breath of calumny is sweet unto its ear, and it 

courteth the rod of persecution. 
But what! art thou not a man, deputed chief of the 

creation ? 
Art thou not a soldier of the right, militant for God and 

good? 
Shall virtue and truth be degraded, because thou art too 

base to uphold them ? 
Or Goliath be bolder in blaspheming for want of a David 

in the camp ? 
I say not, avenge injuries ; for the ministry of vengeance 

is not thine : 
But wherefore rebuke not a liar ? wherefore do dishonour 

to thyself? 
Wherefore let the evil triumph, when the just and the 

right are on thy side ? 



#f H«militg. 69 

Such Humility is abject, it lacketh the life of sensibility, 

And that resignation is but mock, where the burden is 
not felt : 

Suspect thyself and thy meekness : thou art mean and 
indifferent to sin ; 

And the heart that should grieve and forgive, is case- 
hardened and forgetteth. 

humility mainly becometh the converse of man with his 
Maker, 

But oftentimes it seemeth out of place in the intercourse 
of man with man : 

Yea, it is the cringer to his equal, that is chiefly seen bold 
to his God, 

While the martyr, whom a world cannot brow-beat, is 
humble as a child before Him. 

Eender unto all men their due, but remember thou also 
art a man, 

And cheat not thyself of the reverence which is owing 
to thy reasonable being. 

Be courteous, and listen, and leam : but teach and an- 
swer if thou canst : 

Serve thee of thy neighbour's wisdom, but be not en- 
slaved as to a master. 

Where thou perceivest knowledge, bend the ear of atten- 
tion and respect ; 

But yield not further to the teaching, than as thy mind 
is warranted by reasons. 

Better is an obstinate disputant, that yieldeth inch by 
inch, 

Than the shallow traitor to himself, who surrendereth to 
half an argument. 



70 ©f fjmwlitg, 

Modesty winneth good report, but scorn cometh close 

upon servility ; 
Therefore, use meekness with discretion, casting not 

pearls before swine. 
For a fool will tread upon thy neck, if he seeth thee 

lying in the dust ; 
And there be companies and seasons where resolute bear 

ing is but duty. 
If a good man discloseth his secret failings unto the view 

of the profane, 
What doeth he but harm unto his brother, confirming 

him in his sin ? 
There is a concealment that is right, and an open-mouthed 

humility that erreth ; 
There is a candour near akin to folly, and a meekness 

looking like shame. 
Masculine sentiments, vigorously holden, well become a 

man ; 
But a weak mind hath a timorous grasp, and mistaketh 

it for tenderness of conscience. 
Many are despised for their folly, who put it to the ac- 
count of their religion, 
And because men treat them with contempt, they look to 

their God for glory ; 
But contempt shall still be their reward, who betrayed 

their Master unto ridicule, 
Beflecting on Him in themselves, meanness and igno- 
rance and cowardice. 
A Christian hath a royal spirit, and need not be ashamed 

but unto One : 
Among just men walketh he softly, but the world should 

see him as a champion : 



©f fjwmUitg. 71 

His humbleness is far unlike the shame that covereth the 

profligate and weak, 
When the sober reproof of virtue hath touched their 

tingling ears; 
It is born of love and wisdom, and is worthy of all 

honour, 
And the sweet persuasion of its smile changeth contempt 

into reverence. 

$[ man of a haughty spirit is daily adding to his ene- 
mies: 
He standeth as the Arab in the desert, and the hands of 

all men are against him : 
A man of a base mind daily subtracteth from his 

friends, 
For he holdeth himself so cheaply, that others learn to 

despise him : 
But where the meekness of self-knowledge veileth the 

front of self-respect, 
There look thou for the man, whom none can know but 

they will honour. 
Humility is the softening shadow before the stature of 

Excellence, 
And lieth lowly on the ground, beloved and lovely as the 

violet : 
Humility is the fair-haired maid, that calleth Worth her 

brother, 
The gentle silent nurse, that fostereth infant virtues : 
Humility bringeth no excuse ; she is welcome to God 

and man : 
Her countenance is needful unto all, who would prosper 

in either world : 



72 Df fj ttmtlHg. 

And the mild light of her sweet face is mirrored in, the 
eyes of her companions, 

And straightway stand they accepted, children of peni- 
tence and love. 

As when the blind man is nigh unto a rose, its sweet- 
ness is the herald of its beauty, 

So when thou savourest humility, be sure thou art nigh 
unto merit. 

A gift rejoiceth the covetous, and praise fatteneth the 
vain, 

And the pride of man delighteth in the humble bearing 
of his fellow ; 

But to the tender benevolence of the unthanked Al- 
moner of good, 

Humility is queen among the graces for she giveth Him 
occasion to bestow. 



73 



ffi f rite. 



is the sea, and deep is hell, but Pride mineth 

deeper ; 
It is coiled as a poisonous worm about the foundations 

of the soul. 
If thou expose it in thy motives, and track it in thy 

springs of thought, 
Complacent in its own detection, it will seem indignant 

virtue; 
Smoothly will it gratulate thy skill, O subtle anatomist 

of self, 
And spurn at its very being, while it nestleth the deeper 

in thy bosom. 
Pride is a double traitor, and betrayeth itself to entrap 

thee, 
Making thee vain of thy self-knowledge ; proud of thy 

discoveries of pride. 
Fruitlessly thou strainest for humility, by darkly diving 

into self; 



74 ®f $rfte. 

Bather look away from innate evil, and gaze upon ex 

traneous good : 
For in sounding the deep things of the heart, thou shalt 

learn to he vain of its capacities, 
But in viewing the heights above thee, thou shalt be 

taught thy littleness : 
Could an emmet pry into itself, it might marvel at its 

own anatomy, 
But let it look on eagles, to discern how mean a thing 

it is. 
And all things hang upon comparison ; to the greater, 

great is small : 
Neither is there anything so vile, but somewhat yet is 

viler: 
On all sides is there an infinity : the culprit at the gal- 
lows hath his worse, 
And the virgin martyr at the stake need not look far for 

a better. 
Therefore see thou that thine aim reacheth unto higher 

than thyself : 
Beware that the standard of thy soul wave from the 

loftiest battlement : 
For pride is a pestilent meteor, flitting on the marshes of 

corruption, 
That will lure thee forward to thy death, if thou seek to 

track it to its source : 
Pride is a gloomy bow, arching the infernal firmament, 
That will lead thee on, if thou wilt hunt it, even to the 

dwelling of despair. 
Deep calleth unto deep, and mountain overtoppeth 

mountain, 
And still shalt thou fathom to no end the depth and the 

height of pride : 



®f |riite; 75 

For it is the vast ambition of the soul, warped to an idol 

object, 
And nothing but a Deity in Self can quench its insatiable 

thirst. 

23 e aware of the smiling enemy, that openly sheatheth 
his weapon, 

But mingleth poison in secret with the sacred salt of 
hospitality : 

For pride will lie dormant in thy heart, to snatch its se- 
cret opportunity, 

Watching, as a lion-ant, in the bottom of its toils. 

Stay not to parley with thy foe, for his tongue is more 
potent than his arm, 

But be wiser, fighting against pride in the simple pano- 
ply of prayer. 

As one also of the poets hath said, let not the Proteus 
escape thee ; 

For he will blaze forth as fire, and quench himself in 
likeness of water ; 

He will fright thee as a roaring beast, or charm thee as 
a subtle reptile. 

Mark, amid all his transformations, the complicate de- 
ceitfulness of pride, 

And the more he striveth to elude thee, bind him the 
closer in thy toils. 

Prayer is the net that snareth him ; prayer is the fetter 
that holdeth him : 

Thou canst not nourish pride, while waiting as an alms- 
man on thy God, — 

Waiting in sincerity and trust, or pride shall meet thee 
even there ; 



76 #f gtifa*. 

Yea, from the palaces of Heaven, hath pride cast down 

his millions. 
Eoot up the mandrake from thy heart, though it cost thee 

blood and groans, 
Or the cherished garden of thy graces will fade and 

perish utterly. 



77 



I ftneto that age was enriched with the hard-earned 

wages of knowledge, 
And I saw that hoary wisdom was bred in the school of 

disappointment : 
I noted that the wisest of youth, though provident and 

cautious of evil, 
Yet sailed along unsteadily, as lacking some ballast of the 

mind : 
And the cause seemed to lie in this, that while they con 

sidered around them, 
And warded off all dangers from without, they forgat 

their own weakness within. 
So steer they in self-confidence, until, from the multitude 

of perils, 
They begin to be wary of themselves, and learn the first 

lesson of Experience. 
t knew that in the morning of life, before its wearisome 

journey, 



78 ©f fepmwa- 

The youthful soul doth expand, in the simple luxury of 
being; 

It hath not contracted its wishes, nor set a limit to its 
hopes ; 

The wing of fancy is unclipt, and sin hath not seared 
the feelings : 

Each feature is stamped with immortality, for all its de- 
sires are infinite, 

And it seeketh an ocean of happiness, to fill the deep 
hollow within. 

But the old and the grave look on, pitying that generous 
youth, 

For they also have tasted long ago the bitterness of hope 
destroyed : 

They pity him, and are sad, remembering the days that 
are past, 

But they know he must taste for himself, or he will not 
give ear to their wisdom. 

For Experience hath another lesson, which a man will 
do well if he learn, 

By checking the flight of expectation, to cheat disap- 
pointment of its pain. 

Experience teacheth many things, and all men are his 

scholars: 
Yet is he a strange tutor, unteaching that which he hath 

taught. 
Youth is confident, manhood wary, and old age confident 

again: 
Youth is kind, manhood cold, and age returneth unto 

kindness, 
For youth suspecteth nought, till manhood, bitterly 

learned, 



©i §xptmwz. 79 

Mistrusteth all, overleaping the mark; and age correcteth 

his excess. 
Suspicion is the scaffold unto faith, a temporary needful 

eyesore, 
By which the strong man's dwelling is slowly huilded up 

behind; 
But soon as the top-stone hath been set to the well- 
proved goodly pyramid, 
The scaffold is torn down, and well-timed trust taketh 

its long leave of suspicion. 
A thousand volumes in a thousand tongues enshrine the 

lessons of Experience, 
Yet a man shall read them all, and go forth none the 

wiser : 
For self-love lendeth him a glass, to colour all he conneth, 
Lest in the features of another he find his own com- 
plexion. 
And we secretly judge of ourselves as differing greatly 

from all men, 
And love to challenge causes to show how we can master 

their effects : 
Pride is pampered in expecting that we need not fear a 

common fate, 
Or wrong-headed prejudice exulteth, in combating old 

experience ; 
Or perchance caprice and discontent are the spurs that 

goad us into danger, 
Careless, and half in hope to find there an enemy to joust 

with. 
Private experience is an unsafe teacher, for we rarely 

learn both sides, 
And from the gilt surface reckon not on steel beneath : 



80 ®f faermta, 



The torrid sons of Guinea think scorn of icy seas, 

And the frostbitten Greenlander disbelieveth suns too 

hot. 
But thou, student of Wisdom, feed on the marrow of the 

matter ; 
If thou wilt suspect, let it be thyself; if thou wilt expect, 

let it not be gladness. 



8J 



®f Estimating €\mdtx. 



Ha^fjlg, nor ofttimes truly, doth man pass judgment on 

his brother ; 
For he seeth not the springs of the heart, nor heareth 

the reasons of the mind. 
And the world is not wiser than of old, when justice was 

meted by the sword, 
When the spear avenged the wrong, and the lot decided 

the right, 
When the footsteps of blinded innocence were tracked 

by burning ploughshares, 
And the still condemning water delivered up the wizard 

to the stake : 
For we wait, like the sage of Salamis, to see what the 

end will be, 
Fixing the right or the wrong, by the issues of failure or 

success. 
Judge not of things by their events; neither of character 

by providence ; 

G 



82 <§f feiimH&tjj €\tmudzx. 

And count not a man more evil, because he is more 
unfortunate : 

For the blessings of a better covenant lie not in the sun- 
shine of prosperity, 

But pain and chastisement the rather show the wise 
Father's love. 

ISehold that daughter of the world : she is full of gaiety 

and gladness ; 
The diadem of rank is on her brow, uncounted wealth is 

in her coffers : 
She tricketh out her beauty like Jezebel, and is welcome 

in the courts of kings ; 
She is queen of the fools of fashion, and ruleth the revels 

of luxury : 
And though she sitteth not as Tamar, nor standeth in 

the ways as Eahab, 
Yet in the secret of her chamber, she shrinketh not from 

dalliance and guilt. 
She careth not if there be a God, or a soul, or a time of 

retribution, 
Pleasure is the idol of her heart : she thirsteth for no 

purer heaven. 
And she laugheth with light good humour, and all men 

praise her gentleness ; 
They are glad in her lovely smile, and the river of her 

bounty filleth them. 
So she prospered in the world: the worship and desire 

of thousands ; 
And she died even as she had lived, careless and cour- 
teous and liberal. 



#f fistimatrng Character* 83 

The grave swallowed up her pomp, the marble proclaimed 
her virtues, 

For men esteemed her excellent, and charities sounded 
forth her praise ; 

But elsewhere far other judgment setteth her — with in- 
fidels and harlots ! 

She abused the trust of her splendour : and the wages of 
her sin shall be hereafter. 

Hook again on this fair girl, the orphan of a village 

pastor 
Who is dead, and hath left her his all, — his blessing and 

a name unstained. 
And friends, with busy zeal, that their purses be not 

taxed, 
Place the sad mourner in a home, poor substitute for 

that she hath lost. 
A stranger among strange faces she drinketh the worm- 
wood of dependence ; 
She is marked as a child of want : and the world hateth 

poverty. 
Prayer is not heard in that house; the day she hath 

loved to hallow 
Is noted but by deeper dissipation, the riot of luxury 

and gaming : 
And wantonness is in her master's eye, and she hath no 

where to flee to ; 
She is cared for by none upon earth, and her God 

seemeth to forsake her ; 
Then cometh, in fair show, the promise and the feint of 

affection, 

o 2 



84 #f fetimH&tg C^mtatte* 

And her heart, long unused to kindness, remembereth her 

father, and loveth. 
And the villain hath wronged her trust, and mocked, 

and flung her from him, 
And men point at her and laugh : and women hate her 

as an outcast : 
But elsewhere far other judgment seateth her — among 

the martyrs ! 
And the Lord, who seemed to forsake, giveth double 

glory to the fallen. 

$nce more, in the matter of wealth ; if thou throw thine 

all on a chance, 
Men will come around thee, and wait, and watch the 

turning of the wheel : 
And if, in the lottery of life, thou hast drawn a splendid 

prize, 
What foresight hadst thou, and skill ! yea, what enter- 
prize and wisdom ! 
But if it fall out against thee, and thou fail in thy 

perilous endeavour, 
Behold, the simple did sow, and hath, reaped the right 

harvest of his folly : 
And the world will be gladly excused, nor will reach out 

a finger to help ; 
For why should this speculative dullard be a whirlpool 

to all around him ? 
Go to, let him sink by himself : we knew what the end 

of it would be : — 
For the man hath missed his mark, and his fellows look 

no further. 



#f fetxmatmg Character* 85 

&lso, touching guilt and innocence : a man shall walk 

in his uprightness 
Year after year without reproach, in charity and honesty 

with all : 
But in one evil hour the enemy shall come in like a 

flood; 
Shall track him, and tempt him, and hem him, — till he 

knoweth not whither to fly. 
Perchance his famishing little ones shall scream in his 

ears for oread, 
And, maddened by that fierce cry, he rusheth as a thief 

upon the world ; 
The world that hath left him to starve, itself wallowing 

in plenty, — 
The world, that denieth him his rights, — he daringly 

robbeth it of them. 
I say not, such an one is innocent ; but, small is the 

measure of his guilt 
To that of his wealthy neighbour, who would not help 

him at his need ; 
To that of the selfish epicure, who turned away with 

coldness from his tale ; 
To that of unsuffering thousands, who look with compla- 
cence on his fall. 

©r perchance the continual dropping of the venomed 
words of spite, 

Insult and injury and scorn, have galled and pierced his 
heart ; 

Yet, with all long-suffering and meekness, he forgiveth 
unto seventy times seven : 

Till, in some weaker moment, tempted beyond endur- 
ance, 



86 #f Estimating Character. 

He striketh, more in anger than in hate ; and, alas ! for 

his heavy chance, 
He hath smitten unto instant death his spiteful life-long 

enemy ! 
And none was hy to see it ; and all men knew of their 

contentions : 
Fierce voices shout for his blood, and rude hands hurry 

him to judgment. 
Then man's verdict cometh, — Murderer, with forethought 

malice; 
And his name is a note of execration ; his guilt is too 

black for devils. 
But to the Eighteous Judge, seemeth he the suffering 

victim ; 
For his anger was not unlawful, but became him as a 

Christian and a man ; 
And though his guilt was grievous when he struck that 

heavy bitter blow, 
Yet light is the sin of the smiter, and verily kicketh the 

beam, 
To the weight of that man's wickedness, whose slow re- 
lentless hatred 
Met him at every turn, with patient continuance in evil. 
Doubtless, eternal wrath shall be heaped upon that 

spiteful enemy. 

It is vain, it is vain, saith the preacher ; there be none 

but the righteous and the wicked, 
Base rebels, and staunch allies, the true knight, and the 

traitor : 
And he beareth strong witness among men, There is no 

neutral ground, 



#f (Estimating <%racter. 87 

The broad highway and narrow path map out the whole 
domain ; 

Sit here among the saints, these holy chosen few, 

Or grovel there a wretch condemned, to die among the 
million. 

And verily for ultimate results, there be but good and 
bad; 

Heaven hath no dusky twilight ; hell is not gladdened 
with a dawu. 

Yet looking round among his fellows, who can pass 
righteous judgment, 

Such an one is holy and accepted, and such an one re- 
probate and doomed? 

There is so much of good among the worst, so much of 
evil in the best, 

Such seeming partialities in providence, so many things 
to lessen and expand, 

Yea, and with all man's boast, so little real freedom of 
his will, — 

That, to look a little lower than the surface, garb or dia- 
lect or fashion, 

Thou shalt feebly pronounce for a saint, and faintly 
condemn for a sinner. 

Over many a good heart and true, fTuttereth the Great 
King's pennant ; 

By many an iron hand, the pirate's black banner is un- 
furled : 

But there be many more besides, in the yacht and the 
trader and the fishing-boat, 

In the feathered war canoe, and the quick mysterious 
gondola : 

And the army of that Great King hath no stated uniform ; 



Of mingled characters and kinds goeth forth the count 

less host ; 
There is the turhaned Damascene, with his tattooed 

Zealand brother, 
There the slim bather in the Ganges, with the sturdy 

Eussian boor, 
The sluggish inmate of a Polar cave, with the fire-souled 

daughter of Brazil, 
The embruted slave from Cuba, and the Briton of gentle 

birth. 
For all are His inheritance, of all He taketh tithe : 
And the church, His mercy's ark, hath some of every 

sort. 
Who art thou, man, that art fixing the limits of the 

fold? 
Wherefore settest thou stakes to spread the tent of 

heaven ? 
Lay not the plummet to the line : religion hath no land- 
marks: 
No human keenness can discern the subtle shades of 

faith: 
In some it is as earliest dawn, the scarce diluted dark- 
ness ; 
In some as dubious twilight, cold and grey and gloomy : 
In some the ebon east is streaked with flaming gold : 
In some the dayspring from on high breaketh in all its 

praise. 
And who hath determined the when, separating light 

from darkness ? 
Who shall pluck from earliest dawn the promise of the 

day? 
Leave that care to the Husbandman, lest thou garner 

tares ; 



<®f Estimating Character, 89 

Help thou the shepherd in his seeking, hut to separate 
he his; 

For I have often seen the nohle erring spirit 

Wrecked on the shoals of passion, and numbered of the 
lost; 

Often the generous heart, lit "by unhallowed fire, 

Counted a "brand among the hurning, and left uncared- 
for, in his sin : 

Yet I waited a little year, and the mercy thou hadst for- 
gotten 

Hath purged that nohle spirit, washing it in waters of 
repentance ; 

That glowing generous heart, having "burnt out all its 
dross, 

Is as a golden censer, ready for the aloes and cassia : 

While thou, hard-visaged man, unlovely in thy strict- 
ness, 

"Who turned from him thy sympathies with self-com- 
placent pride, 

How art thou shamed hy him ! his heart is a spring of 
love, 

While the dry well of thine affections is choked with 
secret mammon. 

Sometimes at a glance thou judgest well ; years could 
add little to thy knowledge : 

When charity gloweth on the cheek, or malice is lower- 
ing in the eye, 

When honesty's open hrow, or the weasel-face of cun- 
ning is "before thee, 

Or the loose lip of wantonness, or clear bright forehead 
of reflection. 



90 <8Df fetxmatmg (K^Hraxte. 

But often, by shrewd scrutiny, thou judgest to the good 

man's harm : 
For it may be his hour of trial, or he slumbereth at his 

post, 
Or he hath slain his foe, but not yet levelled the strong- 
hold, 
Or barely recovered of the wounds, that fleshed him in his 

fray with passion. 
Also, of the worst, through prejudice, thou loosely shalt 

think well : 
For none is altogether evil, and thou mayst catch him 

at his prayers : 
There may be one small prize, though all beside be 

blanks ; 
A silver thread of goodness in the black sergecloth of 

crime. 

^here is to whom all things are easy : his mind, as a 

master-key, 
Can open, with intuitive address, the treasuries of art and 

science : 
There is to whom all things are hard; but industry 

giveth him a crow-bar, 
To force, with groaning labour, the stubborn lock of 

learning : 
And often, when thou lookest on an eye, dim in native 

dulness, 
Little shalt thou wot of the wealth diligence hath 

gathered to its gaze ; 
Often, the brow that should be bright with the dormant 

fire of genius, 
Within its ample halls, hath ignorance the tenant. 



®f feirmHihuj Character. 91 

Yet are not the sons of men cast as in moulds by the 

lot? 
The like in frame and feature have much alike in 

spirit; 
Such a shape hath such a soul, so that a deep discerner 
From his make will read the man, and err not far in 

judgment : 
Yea, and it holdeth in the converse, that growing simi- 
larity of mind 
Findeth or maketh for itself an apposite dwelling in the 

body : 
Accident may modify, circumstance may Devil, externals 

seem to change it, 
But still the primitive crystal is latent in its many varia- 
tions : 
For the map of the face, and the picture of the eye, are 

traced by the pen of passion ; 
And the mind fashioneth a tabernacle suitable for itself. 
A mean spirit boweth down the back, and the bowing 

fostereth meanness ; 
A resolute purpose knitteth the knees, and the firm tread 

nourisheth decision ; 
Love looketh softly from the eye, and kindleth love by 

looking ; 
Hate furroweth the brow, and a man may frown till he 

hateth : 
For mind and body, spirit and matter, have reciprocities 

of power, 
And each keepeth up the strife ; a man's works make or 

mar him. 

Chere be deeper things than these, lying in the twilight 
of truth 



92 ©f Estimating €§murttx. 

But few can discern them aright, from surrounding 

dimness of error, 
For perchance, if thou knewest the whole, and largely 

with comprehensive mind 
Couldst read the history of character, the chequered 

story of a life, 
And into the great account, which summeth a mortal's 

destiny, 
Wert to add the forces from without, dragging him this 

way and that, 
And the secret qualities within, grafted on the soul from 

the womh, 
And the might of other men's example, among whom 

his lot is cast, 
And the influence of want, or wealth, of kindness or 

harsh ill-usage, 
Of ignorance he cannot help, and knowledge found for 

him "by others, 
And first impressions, hard to he effaced, and leadings 

to right or to wrong, 
And inheritance of likeness from a father, and natural 

human frailty, 
And the hahit of health or disease, and prejudices 

poured into his mind, 
And the myriad little matters none hut Omniscience can 

know, 
And accidents that steer the thoughts, where none hut 

Uhiquity can trace them ; — 
If thou couldst compass all these, and the consequents 

flowing from them, 
And the scope to which they tend, and the necessary 

fitness of all things, 



®i (Estimating Character- 93 

Then shouldst thou see as He seeth, who judgeth all 

men equal, — 
Equal, touching innocence and guilt ; and different alone 

in this, 
That one acknowledged his evil, and looketh to his God 

for mercy ; 
Another hoasteth of his good, and calleth on his God for 

justice ; 
So He, that sendeth none away, is largely munificent to 

prayer, 
But, in the heart of presumption, sheatheth the sword of 

vengeance. 



94 



(Bf Jtob atft Jwjjflr. 



iSUmttfJ unto goodness is the heart which anger never 

stirreth, 
But that which hatred swelleth, is keen to carve out 

evil. 
Anger is a nohle infirmity, the generous failing of the 

just, 
The one degree that riseth above zeal, asserting the pre- 

rogatives of virtue : 
But hatred is a slow continuing crime, a fire in the had 

man's breast, 
A dull and hungry flame, for ever craving insatiate. 
Hatred would harm another; anger would indulge 

itself: 
Hatred is a simmering poison ; anger, the opeuing of a 

valve : 
Hatred destroy eth as the upas-tree ; anger smiteth as a 

staff: 



Df patab- attir %xv$zt. 95 

Hatred is the atmosphere of hell ; but anger is known in 
heaven. 

Is there not a righteous wrath, an anger just and holy, 

When goodness is sitting in the dust, and wickedness 
enthroned on Babel? 

Doth pity condemn guilt? — is justice not a feeling but 
a law 

Appealing to the line and to the plummet, incognizant 
of moral sense ? 

Thou that condemnest anger, small is thy sympathy with 
angels, 

Thou that hast accounted it for sin, cold is thy commu- 
nion with heaven. 

ISeware of the angry in his passion ; but fear not to ap- 
proach him afterward ; 

For if thou acknowledge thine error, he himself will be 
sorry for his wrath : 

Beware of the hater in his coolness ; for he meditateth 
evil against thee : 

Commending the resources of his mind calmly to work 
thy ruin. 

Deceit and treachery skulk with hatred, but an honest 
spirit flieth with anger : 

The one lieth secret, as a serpent; the other chaseth, as 
a leopard. 

Speedily be reconciled in love, and receive the returning 
offender, 

For wittingly prolonging anger, thou tamperest uncon- 
sciously with hatred. 

Patience is power in a man, nerving him to rein his 
spirit : 



96 #f fjattjefr nub %xt%tx> 

Passion is as palsy to his arm, while it yelleth on the 

coursers to their speed : 
Patience keepeth counsel, and standeth in solid self- 
possession, 
But the weakness of sudden passion layeth bare the 

secrets of the soul. 
The sentiment of anger is not ill, when thou lookest on 

the impudence of vice, 
Or savourest the breath of calumny, or hast earned the 

hard wages of injustice, 
But see thou that thou curb it in expression, rendering 

the mildness of rebuke, 
So shalt thou stand without reproach, mailed in all the 

dignity of virtue. 



97 



i00*r m f jpp (&8L 



I Ij? ar ^ the man of sin reproaching the goodness of 

Jehovah, 
Wherefore, if He he Almighty Love, permitteth He misery 

and pain ? 
I saw the child of hope vexed in the lahyrinth of doubt, 
Wherefore, holy One and just, is the horn of thy foul 

foe so high exalted ? — 
And, alas ! for this our groaning world, for that grief 

and guilt are here ; 
Alas ! for that Earth is the battle-field, where good must 

combat with evil : 
x^ngels look on and hold their breath, burning to mingle 

in the conflict, 
But the troops of the Captain of Salvation may be none 

but the soldiers of the cross : 
And that slender band must fight alone, and yet shall 

triumph gloriously, 
Enough shall they be for conquest, and the motto of 

their standard is, Enough. 

H 



98 #f (toir in ff#rajjs ®Wl 

Thou art sad, O denizen of earth, for pains and diseases 

and death, 
But remember, thy hand hath earned them ; grudge not 

at the wages of thy doings : 
Thy guilt, and thy fathers' guilt, must bring many sor- 
rows in their company, 
And if thou wilt drink sweet poison, doubtless it shall 

rot thee to the core. 
What art thou but the heritor of evil, with a right to 

nothing good ? 
The respite of an interval of ease were a boon which 

Justice might deny thee : 
Therefore lay thy hand upon thy mouth, man much 

to be forgiven, 
And wait, thou child of hope, for time shall teach thee 

all things, 

get hear, for my speech shall comfort thee : reverently, 

but with boldness, 
T would raise the sable curtain, that hideth the sym- 
metry of Providence. 
Pain and sin are convicts, and toil in their fetters for 

good; 
The weapons of evil are turned against itself, fighting 

under better banners : 
The leech delighteth in stinging, and the wicked loveth 

to do harm, 
But the wise Physician of the Universe useth that ill 

tendency for health. 
Verily, from others' griefs are gendered sympathy and 

kindness ; 
Patience, humility, and faith, spring not seldom from 

thine own : 



An enemy, humbled by his sorrows, cannot be far from 

thy forgiveness ; 
A friend, who hath tasted of calamity, shall fan the dying 

incense of thy love : 
And for thyself, is it a small thing, so to learn thy 

frailty, 
That from an aching bone thou savest the whole 

body ? 
The furnace of affliction may be fierce, but if it refineth 

thy soul, 
The good of one meek thought shall outweigh years of 

torment. 
Nevertheless, wretched man, if thy bad heart be hardened 

in the flame, 
Being earth-born, as of clay, and not of moulded wax, 
Judge not the hand that smiteth, as if thou wert visited 

in wrath : 
Reproach thyself, for He is Justice ; repent thee, for He 

is Mercy. 

Cease, fond caviller at wisdom, to be satisfied that every- 
thing is wrong : 

Be sure there is good necessity, even for the flourishing 
of evil. 

Would the eye delight in perpetual noon ? or the ear in 
unqualified harmonics ? 

Hath winter's frost no welcome, contrasting sturdily 
with summer ? 

Couldst thou discern benevolence, if there were no sor 
rows to be soothed ? 

Or discover the resources of contrivance, if nothing 
stood opposed to the means ? 

H 2 



100 ©f tfMb m f^mgs mi 

What were power without an enemy ? or mercy without 

an object? 
Or truth, where the false were impossible? or love, 

where love were a debt ? 
The characters of God were but idle, if all things around 

Him were perfection, 
And virtues might slumber on like death, if they lacked 

the opportunities of evil. 
There is One all-perfect, and but one ; man dare not 

reason of His essence : 
But there must be deficiencies in heaven, to leave room 

for progression in bliss : 
A realm of unqualified best were a stagnant pool of 

being, 
And the circle of absolute perfection, the abstract cipher 

of indolence. 
Sin is an awful shadow, but it addeth new glories to the 

light; 
Sin is a black foil, but it setteth off the jewelry of 

heaven : 
Sin is the traitor that hath dragged the majesty of mercy 

into action ; 
Sin is the whelming argument, to justify the attribute of 

vengeance. 
It is a deep dark thought, and needeth to be diligently 

studied, 
But perchance evil was essential, that God should be 

seen of His creatures : 
For where perfection is not, there lacketh possible 

good, 
And the absence of better that might be, taketh from the 

praise of it is well : 



#£ (fooir far Strings fibxl 101 

And creatures must be finite, and finite cannot be 

perfect : 
Therefore, though in small degree, creation involveth 

evil, 
He chargeth His angels with folly, and the heavens are 

not clean in His sight : 
For every existence in the universe hath either imperfec 

tion or Godhead : 
And the light that blazeth but in One, must be softened 

with shadow for the many. 
There is then good in evil ; or none could have known 

his Maker; 
No spiritual intellect or essence could have gazed on His 

high perfections, 
No angel harps could have tuned the wonders of His 

wisdom, 
No ransomed souls have praised the glories of His 

mercy, 
No howling fiends have shown the terrors of His justice, 
But God would have dwelt alone, in the fearful solitude 

of holiness. 

Nevertheless, sinner, harden not thine heart in evil; 
Nor plume thee in imaginary triumph, because thou art 

not valueless as vile ; 
Because thy dark abominations add lustre to the clarity 

of Light ; 
Because a wonder-working alchemy draineth elixir out of 

poisons ; 
Because the same fiery volcano that scorcheth and 

ravageth a continent, 
Hath in the broad blue bay cast up some petty island ; 



102 <§f foob in JKfcmg* €WL 

Because to the full demonstration of the qualities and 
accidents of good, 

The swarthy legions of the Devil have toiled as unwitting 
pioneers. 

For sin is still sin ; so hateful Love doth hate it ; 

A "blot on the glory of creation, which Justice must wipe 
out. 

Sin is a loathsome leprosy, fretting the white rohe of in- 
nocence ; 

A rottenness, eating out the heart of the royal cedars of 
Lehanon ; 

A pestilential "blast, the terror of that holy pilgrim- 
age ; 

A rent in the sacred veil, whereby God left His temple. 

Therefore, consider thyself, thou that dost not sorrow for 
thy guilt : 

Fear evil, or face its Enemy : dread sin, or dare Justice. 

§9ea, saith the Spirit, and their works do follow them ; 

Habits, and thoughts, and deeds, are shadows and satel- 
lites of self. 

What! shall the claimant to a throne stand forward with 
a rabble rout, — 

Meanness, impiety, and lust; riot and indolence and 
vanity ? 

Nay, man ! the train wherewith thou comest attend 
whither thou shalt go : 

A throne for a king's son, but an inner dungeon for the 
felon. 

For a man's works do follow him : bodily, standing in 
the judgment, 

Behold the false accuser, behold the slandered saint ; 



®f §oob m Clings (EMI. 103 

The slave, and his bloody driver ; the poor, and his 
generous friend ; 

The simple dupe, and the crafty knave : the murderer, 
and — his victim ! 

Yet all are in many characters ; the best stand guilty at 
the bar; 

And he that seemed the worst may have most of real 
excuse. 

The talents unto which a man is born, be they few or 
many, 

Are dropped into the balance of account, working un- 
looked-for changes ; 

And perchance the convict from the galleys may stand 
above the hermit from his cell, 

For that the obstacles in one outweigh the propensions 
in the other. 

There be, who have made themselves friends, yea, by 
unrighteous mammon, — 

Friends, ready waiting as an escort to those everlasting 
habitations ; 

Embodied in living witnesses, thronging to meet them in 
a cloud, 

Charity, meekness and truth, zeal, sincerity and pa- 
tience. 

There be, who have made themselves foes, yea, by 
honest gain, 

Foes, whose plaint must have its answer, before the 
bright portal is unbarred : 

Pride, and selfishness, and sloth, apathy, wrath and false- 
hood, 

Bind to their everlasting toil many that must weary in 
the fires. 



104 §i §00% m ffifctng* <BML 

Love liath a power and a longing to save the gathered 

world, 
And rescue universal man from the hunting hell-hounds 

of his doings : 
Yet few, here one and there one, scanty as the gleaning 

after harvest, 
Are glad of the rohes of praise which Mercy would fling 

around the naked ; 
But wrapping closer to their skin the poisoned tunic of 

their works, 
They stand in self-dependence, to perish in abandonment 

of God. 



105 



$ f fnger. 



$[ iDtcfc^tt man scorneth prayer, in the shallow sophistry 
of reason, 

He derideth the silly hope that God can be moved by 
supplication: — 

Can the Unchangeable be changed, or waver in His pur- 
pose ? 

Can the weakness of pity affect Him ? Should He turn 
at the bidding of a man ? 

Methought He ruled all things, and ye called His decrees 
immutable, 

But if thus He listeneth to words, wherein is the firmness 
of His will?— 

So I heard the speech of the wicked, and, lo, it was 
smoother than oil ; 

But I knew that his reasonings were false, for the pro- 
mise of the Scripture is true : 

Yet was my soul in darkness, for his words were too 
hard for me ; 



106 #f |rager. 

Till I turned to my God in prayer: for 1 know He 

heareth always. 
Then I looked abroad on the earth, and, behold, the Lord 

was in all things ; 
Yet saw I not His hand in aught, but perceived that He 

worketh by means ; 
Yea, and the power of the mean proveth the wisdom that 

ordained it, 
Yea, and no act is useless, to the hurling of a stone 

through the air. 
So I turned my thoughts to supplication, and beheld the 

mercies of Jehovah, 
And I saw sound argument was still the faithful friend 

of godliness ; 
For as the rock of the affections is the solid approval of 

reason, 
Even so the temple of Religion is founded on the basis 

of Philosophy. 

JS>corner, thy thoughts are weak, they reach not the sum- 
mit of tne matter ; 
Go to, for the mouth of a child might show thee the 

mystery of prayer : 
Verily, there is no change in the counsels of the Mighty 

Ruler : 
Verily, His purpose is strong, and rooted in the depths of 

necessity : 
But who hath shown thee His purpose, who hath made 

known to thee His will ? 
When, gainsayer! hast thou been schooled in the 

secrets of wisdom ? 
Fate is a creature of God, and all things move in their 

orbits, 



•f f rager, 107 

And that which shall surely happen is known unto Him 

from eternity ; 
But as, in the field of nature, He useth the sinews of 

the ox, 
And commandeth diligence and toil, Himself giving the 

increase ; 
So, in the kingdom of His grace, granteth He omnipotence 

to prayer, 
For He knoweth what thou wilt ask, and what thou wilt 

ask aright. 
No man can pray in faith, whose prayer is not grounded 

on a promise : 
Yet a good man commendeth all things to the righteous 

wisdom of his God : 
For those, who pray in faith, trust the immutahle Je- 
hovah, 
And they, who ask blessings unpromised, lean on un- 

covenanted mercy. 

JHan, regard thy prayers as a purpose of love to thy 

soul ; 
Esteem the providence that led to them as an index of 

God's good will ; 
So shalt thou pray aright, and thy words shall meet with 

acceptance. 
Also, in pleading for others, he thankful for the fulness 

of thy prayer : 
For if thou art ready to ask, the Lord is more ready to 

bestow. 
The salt preserveth the sea, and the saints uphold the 

earth ; 
Their prayers are the thousand pillars that prop the 

canopy of nature. 



108 ©f $rag«r. 

Verily, an hour without prayer, from some terrestrial 
mind, 

Were a curse in the calendar of time, a spot of the "black- 
ness of darkness. 

Perchance the terrible day, when the world must rock 
into ruins, 

Will be one unwhitened by prayer, — shall He find faith 
on the earth ? 

For there is an economy of mercy, as of wisdom, and 
power, and means ; 

Neither is one blessing granted, unbesought from the 
treasury of good : 

And the charitable heart of the Being, to depend upon 
whom is happiness, 

Never withholdeth a bounty, so long as His subject 
prayeth ; 

Yea, ask what thou wilt, to the second throne in heaven, 

It is thine, for whom it was appointed ; there is no limit 
unto prayer : 

But and if thou cease to ask, tremble, thou self-sus- 
pended creature, 

For thy strength is cut off as was Samson's : and the 
hour of thy doom is come. 

JFrail art thou, man, as a bubble on the breaker, 
Weak and governed by externals, like a poor bird caught 

in the storm ; 
Yet thy momentary breath can still the raging waters, 
Thy hand can touch a lever that may move the world. 
O Merciful, we strike eternal covenant with thee, 
For man may take for his ally the King who ruleth 

kings : 



#f |rag*r. 109 

How strong, yet how most weak, in utter poverty how 
rich, 

What possible omnipotence to good is dormant in a 
man ! 

Behold that fragile form of delicate transparent beauty, 

Whose light-blue eye and hectic cheek are lit by the bale- 
fires of decline. 

All droopingly she lieth, as a dew-laden lily, 

Her flaxen tresses, rashly luxuriant, dank with unhealthy 
moisture ; 

Hath not thy heart said of her, Alas! poor child of 
weakness ? 

Thou hast erred ; Goliath of Gath stood not in half her 
strength : 

Terribly she fighteth in the van as the virgin daughter of 
Orleans, 

She beareth the banner of heaven, her onset is the rush- 
ing cataract, 

Seraphim rally at her side, and the captain of that host 
is God, 

And the serried ranks of evil are routed by the lightning 
of her eye ; 

She is the King's remembrancer, and steward of many 
blessings, 

Holding the buckler of security over her unthankful 
land: 

For that weak fluttering heart is strong in faith assured, 

Dependence is her might, and behold — she prayeth. 

Angels are round the good man, to catch the incense of 

his prayers, 
And they fly to minister kindness to those for whom he 

pleadeth ; 



110 ®i frager. 

For the altar of his heart is lighted, and hurneth before 
God continually, 

And he breatheth, conscious of his joy, the native at- 
mosphere of heaven : 

Yea, though poor, and contemned, and ignorant of this 
world's wisdom, 

111 can his fellows spare him, though they know not of 

his value. 
Thousands bewail a hero, and a nation mourneth for its 

king, 
But the whole universe lamenteth the loss of a man of 

prayer. 
Verily, were it not for One, who sitteth on His rightful 

throne, 
Crowned with a rainbow of emerald, the green memorial 

of earth, — 
For One, a mediating man, that hath clad His Godhead 

with mortality, 
And offereth prayer without ceasing, the royal priest of 

Nature, 
Matter and life and mind had sunk into dark annihila- 
tion, 
And the lightning frown of Justice withered the world 

into nothing. 

(£hus, worshipper of reason, thou hast heard the sum 
of the matter : 

And woe to his hairy scalp that restraineth prayer be- 
fore God. 

Prayer is a creature's strength, his very breath and 
being ; 

Prayer is the golden key that can open the wicket of 
Mercy : 



®i |rajm\ 1 1 1 

Prayer is the magic sound that saith to Fate, so be it; 
Prayer is the slender nerve that moyeth the muscles of 

Omnipotence. 
Wherefore, pray, O creature, for many and great are thy 

wants ; 
Thy mind, thy conscience, and thy being, thy rig] its 

commend thee unto prayer, 
The cure of all cares, the grand panacea for all pains, 
Doubt's destroyer, ruin's remedy, the antidote to all 

anxieties. 

JS>o then, God is true, and yet He hath not changed : 
It is He that sendeth the petition, to answer it according 
to His will. 



1J2 



%\t f info's fnpr. 



3£nq\xivt&t thou, man, wherewithal may I come unto 

the Lord? 
And with what wonder-working sounds may I move the 

majesty of Heaven ? 
There is a model to thy hand ; upon that do thou frame 

thy supplication ; 
Wisdom hath measured its words; and redemption urgeth 

thee to use them. 
Call thy God thy Father, and yet not thine alone, 
For thou art but one of many, thy brotherhood is with 

all: 
Remember His high estate, that He dwelleth King of 

Heaven ; 
So shall thy thoughts be humbled, nor love be unmixed 

with reverence : 
Be thy first petition unselfish, the honour of Him who 

made thee, 
And that in the depths of thy heart His memory be 

shrined in holiness : 



3% $atV* $rager. 113 

Pray for that blessed time, when good shall triumph over 
evil, 

And one universal temple echo the perfections of Jeho- 
vah: 

Bend thou to His good will, and subserve His holy pur- 
poses, 

Till in thee, and those around thee, grow a little heaven 
upon earth : 

Humbly, as a grateful almsman, beg thy bread of 
God,— 

Bread for thy triple estate, for thou hast a trinity of 
nature : 

Humility smootheth the way, and gratitude softeneth the 
heart, 

Be then thy prayer for pardon mingled with the tear of 
penitence ; 

Yea, and while, all unworthy, thou leanest on the hand 
that should smite, 

Thou canst not from thy fellows withhold thy less for- 
giveness. 

To thy Father thy weaknesses are known, and thou hast 
not hid thy sin, 

Therefore ask Him, in all trust, to lead thee from the 
dangers of temptation ; 

While the last petition of the soul, that breatheth on the 
confines of prayer, 

Is deliverance from sin and the evil one, the miseries of 
earth and hell. 

And wherefore, child of hope, should the rock of thy 
confidence be sure ? 

Thou knowest that God heareth, and promiseth an 
answer of peace ; 

T 



114 %\t JfmV* frager- 

Thou knowest that He is King, and none can stay His 
hand; 

Thou knowest His power to he boundless, for there is 
none other : 

And to Him thou givest glory, as a creature of His work- 
manship and favour, 

For the never-ending term of thy saved and bright exist- 
ence. 



115 



§f Mmttim. 



Jfnr what then was I born ? — to fill the circling year 
With daily toil for daily bread, with sordid pains and 

pleasures ? — 
To walk this chequered world, alternate light and dark- 
ness, 
The day-dreams of deep thought followed by the night- 
dreams of fancy ? — 
To be one in a full procession? — to dig my kindred 

clay?— 
To decorate the gallery of art ? — to clear a few acres of 

forest ?— 
For more than these, my soul, thy God hath lent thee 

life. 
Is then that noble end to feed this mind with knowledge, 
To mix for mine own thirst the sparkling wine of wisdom. 
To light with many lamps the caverns of my heart, 
To reap, in the furrows of my brain, good harvest of 
right reasons ? — 

i 2 



116 ®f Qhmttium. 

For more than these, my soul, thy God hath lent thee 
life. 

Is it to grow stronger in self-government, to check the 
chafing will, 

To euro with tightening rein the mettled steeds of pas- 
sion, 

To welcome with calm heart, far in the voiceless desert, 

The gracious visitings of heaven that bless my single 
self?— 

For more than these, my soul, thy God hath lent thee 
life. 

To aim at thine own happiness, is an end idolatrous and 
evil ; 

In earth, yea in heaven, if thou seek it for itself, seeking 
thou shalt not find. 

Happiness is a road-side flower, growing on the high- 
way of Usefulness ; 

Plucked, it shall wither in thy hand ; passed by, it is 
fragrance to thy spirit : 

Love not thine own soul, regard not thine own weal, 

Trample the thyme beneath thy feet ; be useful, and be 
happy ! 

Chus unto fair conclusions argueth generous youth, 
And quickly he starteth on his course, knight-errant to 

do good. 
His sword is edged with arguments, his vizor terrible 

with censures ; 
He goeth full mailed in faith, and zeal is flaming at his 

heart. 
Yet one thing he lacketh, the Mentor of the mind, 
The quiet whisper of Discretion — Thy time is not yet 

come. 



®i ^mntxoxt. 117 

For he smiteth an oppressor; and vengeance for that 

smiting 
Is dealt in doubled stripes on the faint body of the vie 

tim : 
He is glad to give and to distribute ; and clamorous 

pauperism feasteth, 
While honest labour, pining, hideth his sharp ribs : 
He challengeth to a fair field that subtle giant Infidelity, 
And, worsted in the unequal fight, strengtheneth the 

hands of error ; 
He hasteth to teach and preach, as the war-horse rusheth 

to the battle, 
And to pave a way for truth, would break up the Apen- 
nines of prejudice : 
He wearieth by stale proofs, where none looked for a 

reason, 
And to the listening ear will urge the false argument of 

feeling. 
So hath it often been, that, judging by results, 
The hottest friends of truth have done her deadliest 

wrong. 
Alas! for there are enemies without, glad enough to 

parley with a traitor, 
And a zealot will let down the drawbridge, to prove his 

own prowess : 
Yea, from within will he break away a breach in the 

citadel of truth, 
That he may fill the gap, for fame, with his own weak 

body. 

%eal without judgment is an evil, though it be zeal unto 
good; 



118 #f $imttism. 

Touch not the ark with unclean hand, yea, though it 
seem to totter. 

There are evil who work good, and there are good who 
work evil, 

And foolish backers of wisdom have brought on her 
many reproaches. 

Truth hath more than enough to combat in the minds of 
all men, 

For the mist of sense is a thick veil, and sin hath warped 
their wills ; 

Yet doth an officious helper awkwardly prevent her vic- 
tory,— 

These thy wounded hands were smitten in the house of 
friends : — 

To point out a meaning in her words, he will blot those 
words with his finger ; 

And winnow chaff into the eyes, before he hath wheat to 
show : 

He will heap sturdy logs on a faint expiring fire, 

And with a room in flames, will cast the casement open ; 

By a shoulder to the wheel downhill harasseth the 
labouring beast, 

And where obstruction were needed, will harm by an ill- 
judged thrusting-on. 

& vessel foundereth at sea, if a storm have unshipped 

the rudder ; 
And a mind with much sail shall require heavy ballast. 
Take a lever by the middle, thou shalt seem to prove it 

powerless, 
Argue for truth indiscreetly, thou shalt toil for falsehood. 
There is plenty of room for a peaceable man in the most 

thronged assembly ; 



®i ^ntxztxan. 119 

But a quarrelsome spirit is straitened in the open field : 
Many a teacher, lacking judgment, hindereth his own 

lessons ; 
And the savoury mess of pottage is spoiled by a bitter 

herb : 
The garment woven of a piece is rashly torn by schism, 
Because its unwise claimants will not cast lots for its 

possession. 

JBiscretion guide thee on thy way, noble-minded youth, 
Help thee to humour infirmities, to wink at innocent 

errors, 
To take small count of forms, to bear with prejudice and 

fancy : 
Discretion guard thine asking, discretion aid thine answer, 
Teach thee that well-timed silence hath more eloquence 

than speech, 
Whisper thee, thou art Weakness, though thy cause be 

Strength, 
And tell thee, the key-stone of an arch can be loosened 

with least labour from within. 
The snows of Hecla lie around its troubled smoking 

Geysers ; 
Let the cool streams of prudence temper the hot spring 

of zeal : 
So shalt thou gain thine honourable end, nor lose the 

midway prize : 
So shall thy life be useful, and thy young heart happy. 



120 



§i % riffles. 



l?rt once more, saith the fool, yet once, and is it not a 

little one ? 
Spare me this folly yet an hour, for what is one among 

so many ? 
And he blindeth his conscience with lies, and stupifieth 

his heart with doubts ; — 
Whom shall I harm in this matter? and a little ill 

breedeth much good ; 
My thoughts, are they not mine own ? and they leave no 

mark behind them ; 
And if God so pardoneth crime, how should these petty 

sins affect Him ? — 
So he transgresseth yet again, and falleth by little and 

little, 
Till the ground crumble beneath him, and he sinketh in 

the gulf despairing. 
For there is nothing in the earth so small that it may 

not produce great things, 



#f frifles. 121 

And no swerving from a right line, that may not lead 

eternally astray. 
A landmark tree was once a seed ; and the dust in the 

balance maketh a difference ; 
And the cairn is heaped high by each one flinging a 

pebble : 
The dangerous bar in the harbour's mouth is only grains 

of sand ; 
And the shoal that hath wrecked a nayy is the work of a 

colony of worms : 
Yea, and a despicable gnat may madden the mighty ele- 
phant ; 
And the living rock is worn by the diligent flow of the 

brook. 
Little art thou, man, and in trifles thou contendest 

with thine equals, 
For atoms must crowd upon atoms, ere crime groweth to 

be a giant. 
What, is thy servant a dog? — not yet wilt thou grasp 

the dagger, 
Not yet wilt thou laugh with the scoffers, not yet be- 
tray the innocent ; 
But, if thou nourish in thy heart the reveries of injury or 

passion, 
And travel in mental heat the mazy labyrinths of 

guilt, 
And then conceive it possible, and then reflect on it as 

done, 
And use, by little and little, thyself to regard thyself a 

villain, 
Not long will crime be absent from the voice that doth 

invoke him to thy heart, 



110 #f |rager. 

For the altar of his heart is lighted, and burnetii before 
God continually, 

And he breatheth, conscious of his joy, the native at- 
mosphere of heaven : 

Yea, though poor, and contemned, and ignorant of this 
world's wisdom, 

111 can his fellows spare him, though they know not of 

his value. 
Thousands bewail a hero, and a nation mourneth for its 

king, 
But the whole universe lamenteth the loss of a man of 

prayer. 
Verily, were it not for One, who sitteth on His rightful 

throne, 
Crowned with a rainbow of emerald, the green memorial 

of earth, — 
For One, a mediating man, that hath clad His Godhead 

with mortality, 
And offereth prayer without ceasing, the royal priest of 

Nature, 
Matter and life and mind had sunk into dark annihila- 
tion, 
And the lightning frown of Justice withered the world 

into nothing. 

Chus, O worshipper of reason, thou hast heard the sum 
of the matter : 

And woe to his hairy scalp that restraineth prayer be- 
fore God. 

Prayer is a creature's strength, his very breath and 
being ; 

Prayer is the golden key that can open the wicket of 
Mercy : 



©f ftager. Ill 

Prayer is the magic sound that saith to Fate, so be it; 
Prayer is the slender nerve that moyeth the muscles of 

Omnipotence. 
Wherefore, pray, creature, for many and great are thy 

wants ; 
Thy mind, thy conscience, and thy being, thy rights 

commend thee unto prayer, 
The cure of all cares, the grand panacea for all pains, 
Doubt's destroyer, ruin's remedy, the antidote to all 

anxieties. 

§}o then, God is true, and yet He hath not changed : 
It is He that sendeth the petition, to answer it according 
to His will. 



1J2 



%\t fart's frapr. 



3inquivt&t thou, man, wherewithal may I come unto 

the Lord? 
And with what wonder-working sounds may I move the 

majesty of Heaven ? 
There is a model to thy hand ; upon that do thou frame 

thy supplication ; 
Wisdom hath measured its words; and redemption urgeth 

thee to use them. 
Call thy God thy Father, and yet not thine alone, 
For thou art but one of many, thy brotherhood is with 

all: 
Eemember His high estate, that He dwelleth King of 

Heaven ; 
So shall thy thoughts be humbled, nor love be unmixed 

with reverence : 
Be thy first petition unselfish, the honour of Him who 

made thee, 
And that in the depths of thy heart His memory be 

shrined in holiness : 



%\t fork's $rag*r. US 



Pray for that blessed time, when good shall triumph over 
evil, 

And one universal temple echo the perfections of Jeho- 
vah: 

Bend thou to His good will, and subserve His holy pur- 
poses, 

Till in thee, and those around thee, grow a little heaven 
upon earth : 

Humbly, as a grateful almsman, beg thy bread of 
God,— 

Bread for thy triple estate, for thou hast a trinity of 
nature : 

Humility smootheth the way, and gratitude softeneth the 
heart, 

Be then thy prayer for pardon mingled with the tear of 
penitence ; 

Yea, and while, all unworthy, thou leanest on the hand 
that should smite, 

Thou canst not from thy fellows withhold thy less for- 
giveness. 

To thy Father thy weaknesses are known, and thou hast 
not hid thy sin, 

Therefore ask Him, in all trust, to lead thee from the 
dangers of temptation ; 

While the last petition of the soul, that breatheth on the 
confines of prayer, 

Is deliverance from sin and the evil one, the miseries of 
earth and hell. 

And wherefore, child of hope, should the rock of thy 
confidence be sure ? 

Thou knowest that God heareth, and promiseth an 
answer of peace ; 

T 



114 %\t £mV* $t*px. 

Thou knowest that He is King, and none can stay His 
hand; 

Thou knowest His power to he boundless, for there is 
none other : 

And to Him thou givest glory, as a creature of His work- 
manship and favour, 

For the never-ending term of thy saved and bright exist- 
ence. 



115 



§f gtaturw. 



Jnr what then was I bom ? — to fill the circling year 

With daily toil for daily bread, with sordid pains and 
pleasures ? — 

To walk this chequered world, alternate light and dark- 
ness, 

The day-dreams of deep thought followed by the night- 
dreams of fancy ? — 

To be one in a full procession? — to dig my kindred 
clay?— 

To decorate the gallery of art ? — to clear a few acres of 
forest ? — 

For more than these, my soul, thy God hath lent thee 
life. 

Is then that noble end to feed this mind with knowledge. 

To mix for mine own thirst the sparkling wine of wisdom. 

To light with many lamps the caverns of my heart, 

To reap, in the farrows of my brain, good harvest of 
right reasons ? — 

i 2 



116 ®f ^ktntxan. 

For more than these, my soul, thy God hath lent thee 
life. 

Is it to grow stronger in self-government, to check the 
chafing will, 

To curb with tightening rein the mettled steeds of pas- 
sion, 

To welcome with calm heart, far in the voiceless desert, 

The gracious visitings of heaven that bless my single 
self?— 

For more than these, my soul, thy God hath lent thee 
life. 

To aim at thine own happiness, is an end idolatrous and 
evil; 

In earth, yea in heaven, if thou seek it for itself, seeking 
thou shalt not find. 

Happiness is a road-side flower, growing on the high- 
way of Usefulness ; 

Plucked, it shall wither in thy hand ; passed by, it is 
fragrance to thy spirit : 

Love not thine own soul, regard not thine own weal, 

Trample the thyme beneath thy feet; be useful, and be 
happy ! 

Chus unto fair conclusions argueth generous youth, 
And quickly he starteth on his course, knight-errant to 

do good. 
His sword is edged with arguments, his vizor terrible 

with censures ; 
He goeth full mailed in faith, and zeal is flaming at his 

heart. 
Yet one thing he lacketh, the Mentor of the mind, 
The quiet whisper of Discretion— Thy time is not yet 

come. 



#f <§XMXttXQn. 117 

For he smiteth an oppressor; and vengeance for that 

smiting 
Is dealt in doubled stripes on the faint body of the vie 

tim : 
He is glad to give and to distribute; and clamorous 

pauperism feasteth, 
While honest labour, pining, hideth his sharp ribs : 
He challengeth to a fair field that subtle giant Infidelity, 
And, worsted in the unequal fight, strengtheneth the 

hands of error ; 
He hasteth to teach and preach, as the war-horse rusheth 

to the battle, 
And to pave a way for truth, would break up the Apen- 
nines of prejudice : 
He wearieth by stale proofs, where none looked for a 

reason, 
And to the listening ear will urge the false argument of 

feeling. 
So hath it often been, that, judging by results, 
The hottest friends of truth have done her deadliest 

wrong. 
Alas! for there are enemies without, glad enough to 

parley with a traitor, 
And a zealot will let down the drawbridge, to prove his 

own prowess : 
Yea, from within will he break away a breach in the 

citadel of truth, 
That he may fill the gap, for fame, with his own weak 

body. 

%eal without judgment is an evil, though it be zeal unto 
good; 



118 #f $imttiam. 

Touch not the ark with unclean hand, yea, though it- 
seem to totter. 

There are evil who work good, and there are good who 
work evil, 

And foolish hackers of wisdom have brought on her 
many reproaches. 

Truth hath more than enough to combat in the minds of 
all men, 

For the mist of sense is a thick veil, and sin hath warped 
their wills ; 

Yet doth an officious helper awkwardly prevent her vic- 
tory,— 

These thy wounded hands were smitten in the house of 
friends : — 

To point out a meaning in her words, he will blot those 
words with his finger ; 

And winnow chaff into the eyes, before he hath wheat to 
show : 

He will heap sturdy logs on a faint expiring fire, 

And with a room in flames, will cast the casement open ; 

By a shoulder to the wheel downhill harasseth the 
labouring beast, 

And where obstruction were needed, will harm by an ill- 
judged thrusting-on. 

% vessel foundereth at sea, if a storm have unshipped 

the rudder ; 
And a mind with much sail shall require heavy ballast. 
Take a lever by the middle, thou shalt seem to prove it 

powerless, 
Argue for truth indiscreetly, thou shalt toil for falsehood. 
There is plenty of room for a peaceable man in the most 

thronged assembly ; 



<§f giamiimr. 119 

But a quarrelsome spirit is straitened in the open field : 
Many a teacher, lacking judgment, hindereth his own 

lessons ; 
And the savoury mess of pottage is spoiled by a bitter 

herb : 
The garment woven of a piece is rashly torn by schism, 
Because its unwise claimants will not cast lots for its 

possession. 

discretion guide thee on thy way, noble-minded youth, 
Help thee to humour infirmities, to wink at innocent 

errors, 
To take small count of forms, to bear with prejudice and 

fancy: 
Discretion guard thine asking, discretion aid thine answer, 
Teach thee that well-timed silence hath more eloquence 

than speech, 
Whisper thee, thou art Weakness, though thy cause be 

Strength, 
And tell thee, the key-stone of an arch can be loosened 

with least labour from within. 
The snows of Hecla lie around its troubled smoking 

Geysers ; 
Let the cool streams of prudence temper the hot spring 

of zeal : 
So shalt thou gain thine honourable end, nor lose the 

midway prize : 
So shall thy life be useful, and thy young heart happy. 



120 



§f trifles. 



j^rt once more, saith the fool, yet once, and is it not a 

little one ? 
Spare me this folly yet an hour, for what is one among 

so many ? 
And he blindeth his conscience with lies, and stupifieth 

his heart with doubts ; — 
Whom shall I harm in this matter? and a little ill 

breedeth much good ; 
My thoughts, are they not mine own ? and they leave no 

mark behind them ; 
And if God so pardoneth crime, how should these petty 

sins affect Him ? — 
So he transgresseth yet again, and falleth by little and 

little, 
Till the ground crumble beneath him, and he sinketh in 

the gulf despairing. 
For there is nothing in the earth so small that it may 

not produce great things, 



©f ffirxfle*. 121 

And no swerving from a right line, that may not lead 

eternally astray. 
A landmark tree was once a seed ; and the dust in the 

balance maketh a difference ; 
And the cairn is heaped high by each one flinging a 

pebble : 
The dangerous bar in the harbour's mouth is only grains 

of sand ; 
And the shoal that hath wrecked a navy is the work of a 

colony of worms : 
Yea, and a despicable gnat may madden the mighty ele- 
phant ; 
And the living rock is worn by the diligent flow of the 

brook. 
Little art thou, man, and in trifles thou contendest 

with thine equals, 
For atoms must crowd upon atoms, ere crime groweth to 

be a giant. 
What, is thy servant a dog? — not yet wilt thou grasp 

the dagger, 
Not yet wilt thou laugh with the scoffers, not yet be- 
tray the innocent ; 
But, if thou nourish in thy heart the reveries of injury or 

passion, 
And travel in mental heat the mazy labyrinths of 

guilt, 
And then conceive it possible, and then reflect on it as 

done, 
And use, by little and little, thyself to regard thyself a 

villain, 
Not long will crime be absent from the voice that doth 

invoke him to thy heart, 



122 ®i ffrffles. 

And bitterly wilt thou grieve, that the buds have ripened 
into poison. 

& spark is a molecule of matter, yet may it kindle the 

world : 
Vast is the mighty ocean, but drops have made it vast. 
Despise not thou a small thing, either for evil or for 

good; 
For a look may work thy ruin, or a word create thy 

wealth : 
The walking this way or that, the casual stopping or 

hastening, 
Hath saved life, and destroyed it, hath cast down and 

built up fortunes. 
Commit thy trifles unto God, for to Him is nothing 

trivial; 
And it is but the littleness of man that seeth no great- 
ness in a trifle. 
All things are infinite in parts, and the moral is as the 

material, 
Neither is anything vast, but it is compacted of atoms. 
Thou art wise, and shalt find comfort, if thou study thy 

pleasure in trifles, 
For slender joys, often repeated, fall as sunshine on the 

heart : 
Thou art wise, if thou beat off petty troubles, nor suffer 

their stinging to fret thee ; 
Thrust not thine hand among the thorns, but with a 

leathern glove. 
Regard nothing lightly which the wisdom of Providence 

hath ordered ; 



<9f ffriflcs. 123 

And therefore, consider all things that happen unto thee 

or unto others. 
The warrior that stood against a host, may be pierced 

unto death by a needle ; 
And the saint that feareth not the fire, may perish the 

victim of a thought : 
A mote in the gunners eye is as bad as a spike in the 

gun: 
And the cable of a furlong is lost through an ill-wrought 

inch. 
The streams of small pleasures fill the lake of happi- 
ness : 
And the deepest wretchedness of life is continuance of 

petty pains. 
A fool observeth nothing, and seemeth wise unto him- 
self: 
A wise man heedeth all things, and in his own eyes is a 

fool : 
He that wondereth at nothing hath no capabilities of 

bliss : 
But he that scrutinizeth trifles hath a store of pleasure 

to his hand. 
If pestilence stalk through the land, ye say. This is God"s 

doing : 
Is it not also His doing when an aphis creepeth on a 

rose-bud *? — 
If an avalanche roll from its Alp. ye tremble at the will 

of Providence : 
Is not that will concerned when the sear leaves fall from 

the poplar ? — 



124 m trifles, 

A thing is great or little only to a mortal's thinking, 

But abstracted from the body, all things are alike impor- 
tant : 

The Ancient of Days noteth in His book the idle converse 
of a creature, 

And happy and wise is the man to whose thought 
existeth not a trifle. 



125 



#f QaaM. 



Co join advantage to amusement, to gather profit with 

pleasure, 
Is the wise man's necessary aim, when he lieth in the 

shade of recreation. 
For he cannot fling aside his mind, nor bar up the flood- 
gates of his wisdom ; 
Yea, though he strain after folly, his mental monitor 

shall check him : 
For knowledge and ignorance alike have laws essential to 

their being, — 
The sage studieth amusements, and the simple laugheth 

in his studies. 
Few, but full of understanding, are the books of the library 

of God, 
And fitting for all seasons are the gain and the gladness 

they bestow : 
The volume of Mystery and Grace, for the hour of deep 

communings, 



126 #f gUmattott. 

When the soul considereth intensely the startling marvel 

of itself : 
The book of destiny and Providence, for the time of 

sober study, 
When the mind gleaneth wisdom from the olive grove of 

history : 
And the cheerful pages of Nature, to gladden the plea- 
sant holiday, 
When the task of duty is complete, and the heart swelleth 

high with satisfaction. 
The soul may not safely dwell too long with the deep 

things of futurity ; 
The mind may not always be bent back, like the Parthian, 

straining at the past ; 
And, if thou art wearied with wrestling on the broad 

arena of science, 
Leave awhile thy friendly foe, half vanquished in the 

dust, 
Eefresh thy jaded limbs, return with vigour to the 

strife, — 
Thou shalt easier find thyself his master, for the vacant 

interval of leisure. 

Chat which may profit and amuse is gathered from the 
volume of creation, 

For every chapter therein teemeth with the playfulness 
of wisdom. 

The elements of all things are the same, though nature 
hath mixed them with a difference, 

And Learning delighteth to discover the affinity of seem- 
ing opposites : 

So out of great things and small draweth he the secrets 
of the universe, 



m $tmn&m. 127 

And argueth the cycles of the stars, from a pebble flung 

by a child. 
It is pleasant to note all plants, from the rush to the 

spreading cedar, 
From the giant king of palms, to the lichen that staineth 

its stem ; 
To watch the workings of instinct, that grosser reason 

of brutes, — 
The river-horse browsing in the jungle, the plover 

screaming on the moor. 
The cayman basking on a mud-bank, and the walrus an- 
chored to an iceberg, 
The dog at his master's feet, and the milch-kine lowing 

in the meadow ; 
To trace the consummate skill that hath modelled the 

anatomy of insects, 
Small fowls that sun their wings on the petals of wild 

flowers ; 
To learn a use in the beetle, and more than a beauty in 

the butterfly: 
To recognize affections in a moth, and look with admira- 
tion on a spider. 
It is glorious to gaze upon the firmament, and see from 

far the mansions of the blest, 
Each distant shining world, a kingdom for one of the 

redeemed ; 
To read the antique history of earth, stamped upon those 

medals in the rocks 
Which Design hath rescued from decay, to tell of the 

green infancy of time ; 
To gather from the unconsidered shingle mottled starlike 

agates, 



128 #f gnrfHBfe 

Full of unstoried flowers in the bubbling bloom-chalce- 
dony: 

Or gay and curious shells, fretted with microscopic 
carving, 

Corallines, and fresh seaweeds, spreading forth their de- 
licate branches. 

It is an admirable lore, to learn the cause in the change, 

To study the chemistry of Nature, her grand, but simple 
secrets, 

To search out all her wonders, to track the resources of 
her skill, 

To note her kind compensations, her unobtrusive excel- 
lence. 

In all it is wise happiness to see the well-ordained laws 
of Jehovah, 

The harmony that filleth all His mind, the justice that 
tempereth His bounty, 

The wonderful all-prevalent analogy that testifieth one 
Creator, 

The broad arrow of the Great King, carved on all the 
stores of His arsenal. 

But beware, O worshipper of God, thou forget not Him 
in His dealings, 

Though the bright emanations of His power hide Him in 
created glory ; 

For if, on the sea of knowledge, thou regardest not the 
pole-star of religion, 

Thy bark will miss her port, and run upon the sand-bar 
of folly: 

And if, enamoured of the means, thou considerest not 
the scope to which they tend, 

Wherein art thou wiser than the child, that is pleased 
with toys and baubles ? 



©f l&ttxmtxon. 129 

Verily, a trifling scholar, thou heedest but the letter of 

instruction ; 
For, as motive is spirit unto action, as memory endeareth 

place, 
As the sun doth fertilize the earth, as affection quicken- 

eth the heart, 
So is the remembrance of God in the varied wonders of 

creation. 

J&an hath found out inventions, to cheat him of the 
weariness of life, 

To help him to forget realities, and hide the misery of 
guilt. 

For love of praise, and hope of gain, for passion and de- 
lusive happiness, 

He joineth the circle of folly, and heapeth on the fire of 
excitement ; 

Oftentimes sadly out of heart at the tiresome insipidity 
of pleasure, 

Oftentimes labouring in vain, convinced of the palpable 
deceit : 

Yet a man speaketh to his brother, in the voice of glad 
congratulation, 

And thinketh others happy, though he himself be 
wretched : 

And hand joineth hand to help in the toil of amusement, 

While the secret aching heart is vacant of all but disap- 
pointment. 

The cheapest pleasures are the best; and nothing is 
more costly than sin; 

Yet we mortgage futurity, counting it but little loss : 



130 f f fUm&tiott. 

Neither can a man delight in that which breedeth sor- 
row, 
Yet do we hunt for joy even in the fires that consume it. 
Whoso would find gladness may meet her in the hovel 

of poverty, 
Where benevolence hath scattered around the gleanings 

of the horn of plenty ; 
Whoso would sun himself in peace, may be seen of her 

in deeds of mercy, 
When the pale lean cheek of the destitute is wet with 

grateful tears. 
If the mind is wearied by study, or the body worn with 

sickness, 
It is well to lie fallow for a while, in the vacancy of sheer 

amusement ; 
But when thou prosperest in health, and thine intellect 

can soar untired, 
To seek uninstructive pleasure is to slumber on the 

couch of indolence. 



131 



%\t %um at leliprn. 



J*>tag awhile, thou blessed band, be entreated, daughters 

of heaven! 
While the chance-met scholar of Wisdom learneth your 

sacred names : 
He is resting a little from his toil, yet a little on the 

borders of earth, 
And fain would he have you his friends, to bid him glad 

welcome hereafter. 
Who among the glorious art thou, that walkest a God- 
dess and a Queen, 
Thy crown of living stars, and a golden cross thy 

sceptre? 
Who among flowers of loveliness is she, thy seeming 

herald, 
Yet she boasteth not thee nor herself, and her garments 

are plain in their neatness ? 
Wherefore is there one among the train, whose eyes are 

red with weeping, 

k 2 



132 %\t ffram oi gjkligtmt. 

Yet is her open forehead heaming with the sun of 

ecstasy ? 
And who is that blood-stained warrior, with glory sitting 

on his crest ? 
And who that solemn sage, calm in majestic dignity? 
Also, in the lengthening troop see I some clad in robes 

of triumph, 
Whose fair and sunny faces I have known and loved on 

earth : 
Welcome, ye glorified Loves, Graces, and Sciences, and 

Muses, 
That, like sisters of charity, tended in this world's hos- 
pital ; 
Welcome, for verily I knew, ye could not but be children 

of the light, 
Though earth hath soiled your robes, and robbed you of 

half your glory ; 
Welcome, chiefly welcome, for I find I have friends in 

heaven, 
And some I might scarce have looked for, as thou, light- 
hearted Mirth ; 
Thou also, star-robed Urania ; and thou, with the curious 

glass, 
That rejoicedst in tracking wisdom where the eye was 

too dull to note it : 
And art thou too among the blessed, mild, much-injured 

Poetry ? 
Who quickenest with light and beauty the leaden face 

of matter, 
Who not unheard, though silent, fillest earth's gardens 

with music, 
And not unseen, though a spirit, dost look down upon 

us from the stars, — 



%\z %xmu oi ^ztyxoxt. 138 

That hast been to me for oil and for wine, to cheer and 

uphold my soul, 
When wearied, battling with the surge, the stunning 

surge of life : 
Of thee, for well have I loved thee, of thee may I ask in 

hope, 
Who among the glorious is she, that walketh a Goddess 

and a Queen ? 
And who that fair-haired herald, and who that weeping 

saint? 
And who that mighty warrior, and who that solemn 



J^on, happy art thou that Wisdom hath led thee hither- 
ward : 

For otherwise never hadst thou known the joy-giving 
name of our Queen. 

Behold her, the life of men, the anchor of their ship- 
wrecked hopes : 

Behold her, the shepherdess of souls, who bringeth back 
the wanderers to God. 

And for that modest herald, she is named on earth 
Humility : 

And hast thou not known, my son, the tearful face of 
Eepentance ? 

Faith is yon time-scarred hero, walking in the shade of 
his laurels : 

And Reason, the serious sage, who followeth the foot- 
steps of Faith : 

And we, all we, are but handmaids, ministers of minor 
bliss, 

Who rejoice to be counted servants in the train of a 
Queen so glorious : 



134 ftfy& fem ai gSWigion. 

But for her name, son of man, it is strange to the lan- 
guage of heaven, 

For those who have never fallen need not and may not 
learn it : 

Ligeance we swear to our God, and ligeance well have 
we kept ; 

It is only the hand of the redeemed who can tell thee 
the fulness of that name ; 

Yet will I comfort thee, my son, for the love wherewith 
thou hast loved me, 

And thou shalt touch for thyself the golden sceptre of 
Keligion. 

£o that blessed train passed by me ; but the vision was 

sealed upon my soul ; 
And its memory is shrined in fragrance, for the promise 

of the Spirit was true : 
I learn from the silent poem of all creation round me, 
How beautiful their feet, who follow in that train. 



135 



§i a Muiti 



$Bzg$i$Z not, shrewd reckoner, the God of a good 

man's worship, 
Neither let thy calculating folly gainsay the unity of 

three: 
Nor scorn another's creed, although he cannot solve thy 

doubts ; 
Reason is the follower of faith, where he may not be 

precursor : 
It is written, and so we believe, waiting not for outward 

proof, 
Inasmuch as mysteries inscrutable are the clear preroga- 
tives of godhead. 
Reason hath nothing positive, faith hath nothing 

doubtful ; 
And the height of unbelieving wisdom is to question, all 

things. 
When there is marvel in a doctrine, faith is joyful and 

adoreth ; 



136 <§f a ffirimig. 

But when all is clear, what place is left for faith ? 

Tell me the sum of thy knowledge, — is it yet assured of 
anything? 

Despise not what is wonderful, when all things are won- 
derful around thee. 

From the multitude of like effects, thou sayest, behold 
a law: 

And the matter thou art baffled in unmaking is to thy 
mind an element. 

Then look abroad, I pray thee, for analogy holdeth 
everywhere, 

And the Maker hath stamped his name on every crea- 
ture of his hand : 

I know not of a matter or a spirit, that is not three in 
one, 

And truly should account it for a marvel, a coin without 
the image of its Caesar. 

#ftan talketh of himself as ignorant, but judgeth by 

himself as wise : 
His own guess counteth he truth, but the notions of 

another are his scorn. 
But bear thou yet with a brother, whose thought may 

be less subtle than thine own, 
And suffer the passing speculation suggested by analogies 

to faith. 
Like begetteth like, and the great sea of Existence 
In each of its uncounted waves holdeth up a mirror to 

its Maker : 
Like begetteth like, and the spreading tree of being 
With each of its trefoil leaves pointeth at the trinity of 

God. 



(Stf a ®mt% 137 

Let him whose eyes have been unfilmed, read this homily 

in all things, 
And thou, of duller sight, despise not him that readeth : 
There be three grand principles ; life, generation, and 

obedience ; 
Shadowing in every creature, the Spirit, and the Father, 

and the Son : 
There be three grand unities, variously mixed in trini- 
ties, 
Three catholic divisors of the million sums of matter : 
Yea, though science hath not seen it, climbing the ladder 

of experiment, 
Let faith, in the presence of her God, promulgate the 

mighty truth; 
Of three sole elements all nature's works consist : 
The pine, and the rock to which it clingeth, and the 

eagle sailing around it : 
The lion, and the northern whale, and the deeps wherein 

he sporteth ; 
The lizard sleeping in the sun; the lightning flashing 

from a cloud; 
The rose, and the ruby, and the pearl ; each one is made 

of three ; 
And the three be the like ingredients, mingled in diverse 

measures. 
Thyself hast within thyself body, and life, and mind : 
Matter, and breath, and instinct, unite in all beasts of 

the field ; 
Substance, coherence, and weight, fashion the fabrics of 

the earth ; 
The will, the doing, and the deed, combine to frame a 

fact: 



138 #f a %tmt%. 

The stem, the leaf, and the flower ; beginning, middle, 

and end ; 
Cause, circumstance, consequent: and every three is 

one. 
Yea, the very breath of man's life consisteth of a trinity 

of vapours, 
And the noonday light is a compound, the triune shadow 

of Jehovah. 

Js>hall all things else be in mystery, and God alone be 

understood ? 
Shall finite fathom infinity, though it sound not the 

shallows of creation ? 
Shall a man comprehend his Maker, being yet a riddle 

to himself? 
Or time teach the lesson, that eternity cannot master ? 
If God be nothing more than one, a child can compass 

the thought ; 
But seraphs fail to unravel the wondrous unity of three. 
One verily He is, for there can be but one who is all 

mighty ; 
Yet the oracles of nature and religion proclaim Him 

three in one. 
And where were the value to thy soul, miserable 

denizen of earth, 
Of the idle pageant of the cross, where hung no sacrifice 

for thee ? 
Where the worth to thine impotent heart, of that stirred 

Bethesda, 
All numbed and palsied as it is, by the scorpion stings 

of sin ? 
No, thy trinity of nature, enchained by treble death, 



<§i n Cm% 3 39 

Helplessly craveth of its God, Himself for three salva- 
tions : 

The soul to he reconciled in love, the mind to he glori- 
fied in light, 

While this poor dying hody leapeth into life. 

And if indeed for us all the costly ransom hath heen 
paid, 

Bethink thee, could less than Deity have owned so vast 
a treasure ? 

Could a man contend with God, and stand against the 
bosses of His "buckler, 

Eendering the "balance for guilt, atonement to the utter- 
most? 

Thou art subtle to thine own thinking, hut wisdom 
judgeth thee a fool, 

Eesolving thou wilt not how the knee to a Being thou 
canst not comprehend : 

The mind that could compass perfection were itself 
perfection's equal : 

And reason refuseth its homage to a God who can he 
fully understood. 

Chou that despisest mystery, yet canst expound no- 
thing, 

Wherefore rejectest thou the fact that solveth the enigma 
of all things ? 

Wherefore veilest thou thine eyes, lest the light of reve- 
lation sun them, 

And puttest aside the key that would open the casket of 
truth? 

The mind and the nature of God are shadowed in all His 
works, 



140 ®f e ftrimtg. 

And none could have guessed of His essence, had He 

not uttered it Himself. 
Therefore, thou child of folly, that scornest the record 

of His wisdom, 
Learn from the consistencies of nature the needful 

miracle of Godhead : 
Yea, let the heathen he thy teacher, who adoreth many 

gods, 
For there is no wide-spread error that hath not truth for 

its beginning. 
Be content ; thine eye cannot see all the sides of a cube 

at one view, 
Nor thy mind in the self-same moment follow two ideas : 
There are now many marvels in thy creed, believing 

what thou seest, 
Then let not the conceit of intellect binder thee from 

worshipping mystery. 



141 



fjjMmjj, 



&eftectt0tt is a flower of the mind, giving out wholesome 
fragrance, 

But reverie is the same flower, when rank and running 
to seed. 

Better to read little with thought, than much with levity 
and quickness ; 

For mind is not as merchandize, which decreaseth in the 
using, 

But liker to the passions of man, which rejoice and ex- 
pand in exertion : 

Yet live not wholly on thine own ideas, lest they lead 
thee astray ; 

For in spirit, as in suhstance, thou art a social creature ; 

And if thou leanest on thyself, thou rejectest the guid- 
ance of thy betters, 

Yea, thou contemnest all men, — Am I not wiser than 
they?— 



142 <©f ff^ittkmg. 

Foolish vanity hath blinded thee, and warped thy weak 
judgment ; 

For, though new ideas flow from new springs, and en- 
rich the treasury of knowledge, 

Yet listen often, ere thou think much ; and look around 
thee ere thou judgest. 

Memory, the daughter of Attention, is the teeming 
mother of Wisdom, 

And safer is he that storeth knowledge, than he that 
would make it for himself. 

Imagination is not thought, neither is fancy reflection : 
Thought paceth like a hoary sage, but imagination hath 

wings as an eagle ; 
Keflection sternly considereth, nor is sparing to condemn 

evil, 
But fancy lightly laugheth, in the sun-clad gardens of 

amusement. 
For the shy game of the fowler the quickest shot is the 

surest : 
But with slow care and measured aim the gunner 

pointeth his cannon : 
So for all less occasions, the surface-thought is best, 
But to be master of the great take thou heavier metal. 
It is a good thing, and a wholesome, to search out bosom 

sins, 
But to be the hero of selfish imaginings, is the subtle 

poison of pride : 
At night, in the stillness of thy chamber, guard and curb 

thy thoughts, 
And in recounting the doings of the day, beware that 

thou do it with prayer, 



Or thinking will be an idle pleasure, and retrospect yield 
no fruit. 

Steer the bark of thy mind from the syren isle of reverie, 

And let a watchful spirit mingle with the glance of re- 
collection : 

Also, in examining thine heart, in sounding the fountain 
of thine actions, 

Be more careful of the evil than of the good ; and humble 
thyself in thy sin. 

Che root of all wholesome thought is knowledge of thy- 
self, 

For thus only canst thou learn the character of God to- 
ward thee. 

He made thee, and thou art ; He redeemed thee, and thou 
wilt be : 

Thou art evil, yet He loveth thee : thou sinnest, yet He 
pardoneth thee. 

Though thou canst not perceive Him, yet is He in all His 
works, 

Infinite in grand outline, infinite in minute perfection : 

Nature is the chart of God, mapping out all His attri- 
butes ; 

Art is the shadow of His wisdom, and copieth His re- 
sources. 

Thou knowest the laws of matter to be emanations of His 
will, 

And thy best reason for aught is this, — thou, Lord, 
wouldst have it so. 

Yea, what is any law but an absolute decree of God ? 

Or the properties of matter and mind, but the arbitrary 
fiats of Jehovah ? 



144 #f Cfcfadnngf. 

He made and ordained necessity ; he forged the chain of 
reason ; 

And holdeth in his own right hand the first of the golden 
links. 

A fool regardeth mind as the spiritual essence of mat- 
ter, 

And not rather matter as the gross accident of mind. 

Can finite govern infinite, or a part exceed the whole, 

Or the wisdom of God sit down at the feet of innate 
necessity ? 

Necessity is a creature of His hand ; for He can never 



And chance hath no existence where everything is need- 
ful. 

Canst thou measure Omnipotence, canst thou conceive 
Ubiquity, 

Which guideth the meanest reptile, and quickeneth the 
brightest seraph, 

Which steereth the particle of dust, and commandeth the 
path of the comet ? 

To Him all things are equal, for all things are neces- 
sary : 

The smith was weary at his forge, and welded the metal 
carelessly, 

And the anchor breaketh in its bed ; and the vessel foun- 
dereth with her crew : 

A word of anger is muttered, engendering the midnight 
murder, 

The sun bursteth from a cloud, and maddeneth the toil- 
ing husbandman. 

Shall these things be, and God not know it ? 



#f Slinking. 145 

Shall He know, and not be in them ? shall He see, and 
not be among them ? 

And how can they be otherwise than as He knoweth ? 

Truly, the Lord is in all things ; verily, He worketh in all. 

Think thus, and thy thoughts are firm, ascribing each 
circumstance to Him; 

Yet know surely, and believe the truth, that God willeth 
not evil; 

For adversities are blessings in disguise, and wickedness 
the Lord abhorreth : 

That He is in all things is an axiom, and that He is right- 
eous in all : 

Ascribe holiness to Him, while thou musest on the mys- 
tery of sin, 

For infinite can grasp that, which finite cannot compass. 

3En works of art, think justly : what praise canst thou 

render unto man ? 
For he made not his own mind, nor is he the source of 

contrivance. 
If a cunning workman make an engine that fashioneth 

curious works, 
Which hath the praise, the machine or its maker, — the 

engine, or he that framed it ? 
And could he frame it so subtly as to give it a will and 

freedom, 
Endow it with complicated powers, and a glorious living 

soul, 
Who, while he admireth the wondrous understanding 

creature, 
Will not pay deeper homage to the Maker of master 

minds ? 

L 



146 @i ftfcmfcmg. 

Otherwise, thou ait senseless as the pagan, that adoreth 
his own handy-work ; 

Yea, while thou boastest of thy wisdom, thy mind is as 
the mind of the savage, 

For he boweth down to his idols, and thou art a wor- 
shipper of self, 

Giving to the reasoning machine the credit due to its 
creator. 

(Ehe key-stone of thy mind, to give thy thoughts soli- 
dity, 

To bind them as in an arch, to fix them as the world in 
its sphere, 

Is to learn from the book of the Lord, to drink from the 
well of His wisdom. 

Who can condense the sun, or analyse the fulness of the 
Bible, 

So that its ideas be gathered, and the harvest of its wis- 
dom be brought in? 

That book is easy to the man who setteth his heart to 
understand it, 

But to the careless and profane it shall seem the foolish- 
ness of God ; 

And it is a delicate test to prove thy moral state ; 

To the humble disciple it is bread, but a stone to the 
proud and unbelieving : 

A scorner shall find nothing but the husks, wherewith 
to feed his hunger, 

But for the soul of the simple, it is plenty of full-ripe 
wheat. 

The Scripture abideth the same, in the sober majesty of 
truth; 



<$)f fishing. H7 

And the differing aspects of its teaching proceed from 
diversity in minds. 

He that would learn to think may gain that knowledge 
there ; 

For the living word, as an angel, standeth at the gate of 
wisdom, 

And publisheth, This is the way, walk ye surely in it. 

Eeligion taketh by the hand the humble pupil of repent- 
ance, 

And teacheth him lessons of mystery, solving the ques- 
tions of doubt ; 

She maketh man worthy of himself, of his high prero- 
gative of reason, 

Threadeth all the labyrinths of thought, and leadeth him 
to his God. 

Come hither, child of meditation, upon whose high fair 

forehead 
Glittereth the star of mind in its unearthly lustre : 
Hast thou nought to tell us of thine airy joys, — 
When, borne on sinewy pinions, strong as the western 

condor, 
The soul, after soaring for a while round the cloud-capped 

Andes of reflection, 
Glad in its conscious immortality, leaveth a world be- 
hind, 
To dare at one bold flight the broad Atlantic to another ? 
Hast thou no secret pangs to whisper common men, 
No dread of thine own energies, still active day and night, 
Lest too ecstatic heat sublime thyself away, 
Or vivid horrors, sharp and clear, madden thy tense 
fibres? 

l 2 



148 ®f ftfomkmg. 

In half- shaped visions of sleep hast thou not feared thy 
Sittings, 

Lest reason, like a raking hawk, return not to thy call : 

Nor waked to work-day life with throbbing head and 
heart, 

Nor welcomed early dawn to save thee from unrest ? 

For the wearied spirit lieth as a fainting maiden, 

Captive and borne away on the warrior's foam-covered 
steed, 

And sinketh down wounded, as a gladiator on the sand, 

While the keen faulchion of Intellect is cutting through 
the scabbard of the brain. 

Imagination, like a shadowy giant looming on the twi- 
light of the Hartz, 

Shall overwhelm judgment with affright, and scare him 
from his throne : 

In a dream thou mayst be mad, and feel the fire within 
thee; 

In a dream thou mayst travel out of self, and see thee 
with the eyes of another ; 

Or sleep in thine own corpse; or wake as in many 
bodies ; 

Or swell, as expanded to infinity; or shrink, as impri- 
soned to a point ; 

Or among moss-grown ruins mayst wander with the sullen 
disembodied, 

And gaze upon their glassy eyes until thy heart-blood 
freeze. 

&lone must thou stand, man ! alone at the bar of 

judgment; 
Alone must thou bear thy sentence, alone must thou 

answer for thy deeds : 



®f jinking, 149 

Therefore it is well thou retirest often to secresy and 

solitude, 
To feel that thou art accountable separately from thy fel- 
lows: 
For a crowd hideth truth from the eyes, society drowneth 

thought, 
And being but one among many, stifleth the chidings of 

conscience. 
Solitude bringeth woe to the wicked, for his crimes are 

told out in his ear ; 
But addeth peace to the good, for the mercies of his God 

are numbered. 
Thou mayst know if it be well with a man, — loveth he 

gaiety or solitude ? 
For the troubled river rusheth to the sea, but the calm 

lake slumbereth among the mountains. 
How dear to the mind of the sage are the thoughts that 

are bred in loneliness ; 
For there is as it were music at his heart, and he talketh 

within him as with friends : 
But guilt maddeneth the brain, and terror glareth in the 

eye, 
Where, in his solitary cell, the malefactor wrestleth with 

remorse. 
Give me but a lodge in the wilderness, drop me on an 

island in the desert, 
And thought shall yield me happiness, though I may not 

increase it by imparting : 
For the soul never slumbereth, but is as the eye of the 

Eternal, 
And mind, the breath of God, knoweth not ideal vacuity. 



150 #f ftfohdking. 

At night, after weariness and watching, the body sinketh 

into sleep, 
But the mental eye is awake, and thou reasonest in thy 

dreams : 
In a dream thou mayst live a lifetime, and all he forgotten 

in the morning : 
Even such is life, and so soon perisheth its memory. 



.151 



if Shaking. 



§)$tttf) is the golden harvest that folio weth the flower 

ing of thought ; 
Yet oftentimes runneth it to husk, and the grains be 

withered and scanty: 
Speech is reason's brother, and a kingly prerogative of 

man, 
That likeneth him to his Maker, who spake, and it was 

done : 
Spirit may mingle with spirit, but sense requireth a sym- 
bol; 
And speech is the body of a thought, without which it 

were not seen. 
When thou walkest, musing with thyself, in the green 

aisles of the forest, 
Utter thy thinkings aloud, that they take a shape and 

being; 
For he that pondereth in silence crowdeth the store-house 

of his mind, 



152 ©f S5peaking- 

And though he hath heaped great riches, yet is he hin- 
dered in the using. 
A man that speaketh too little, and thinketh much and 

deeply, 
Corrodeth his own heart-strings, and keepeth hack good 

from his fellows : 
A man that speaketh too much, and museth hut little and 

lightly, 
Wasteth his mind in words, and is counted a fool among 

men: 
But thou, when thou hast thought, weave charily the 

web of meditation, 
And clothe the ideal spirit in the suitable garments of 

speech. 

Ottered out of time, or concealed in its season, good 

savoureth of evil ; 
To be secret looketh like guilt, to speak out may breed 

contention : 
Often have I known the honest heart, flaming with indig- 
nant virtue, 
Provoke unneeded war by its rash ambassador the 

tongue : 
Often have I seen the charitable man go so slily on his 

mission, 
That those who met him in the twilight, took him for a 

skulking thief : 
I have heard the zealous youth telling out his holy 

secrets 
Before a swinish throng, who mocked him as he spake ; 
And I considered, his openness was hardening them that 

mocked, 



#f Shaking- 153 

Whereas a judicious keeping-back might have won their 

sympathy : 
I have judged rashly and harshly the hand, liberal in the 

dark, 
Because in the broad daylight, it hath holden it a virtue 

to be close; 
And the silent tongue have I condemned, because reserve 

hath chained it, 
That it hid, yea from a brother, the kindness it had done 

by comforting. 
No need to sound a trumpet, but less to hush a footfall : 
Do thou thy good openly, not as though the doing were 

a crime. 
Secresy goeth cowled, and Honesty demandeth where- 
fore? 
For he judgeth, — judgeth he not well ? — that nothing 

need be hid but guilt. 
Why should thy good be evil spoken of, through thine 

unrighteous silence ? 
If thou art challenged, speak, and prove the good thou 

doest. 
The free example of benevolence, unobtruded, yet un- 
hidden, 
Soundeth in the ears of sloth, Go, and do thou likewise : 
And I wot the hypocrite's sin to be of darker dye, 
Because the good man, fearing, thereby hideth his light : 
But neither God nor man hath bid thee cloak thy good, 
When a seasonable word would set thee in thy sphere, 

that all might see thy brightness. 
Ascribe the honour to thy Lord, but be thou jealous of 

that honour, 
Nor think it light and worthless, because thou mayst not 

wear it for thyself: 



154 #f Speaking. 

Remember, thy grand prerogative is free unshackled 

utterance, 
And suffer not the flood-gates of secresy to lock the full 

river of thy speech. 

Come, I will show thee an affliction, unnumbered among 
this world's sorrows, 

Yet real and wearisome and constant, embittering the 
cup of life. 

There be, who can think within themselves, and the fire 
burneth at their heart, 

And eloquence waiteth at their lips, yet they speak not 
with their tongue : 

There be, whom zeal quickeneth, or slander stirreth to 
reply, 

Or need constraineth to ask, or pity sendeth as her mes- 
sengers ; 

But nervous dread and sensitive shame freeze the current 
of their speech ; 

The mouth is sealed as with lead, a cold weight presseth 
on the heart, 

The mocking promise of power is once more broken in 
performance, 

And they stand impotent of words, travailing with un- 
born thoughts : 

Courage is cowed at the portal ; wisdom is widowed of 
utterance ; 

He that went to comfort is pitied ; he that should rebuke, 
is silent : 

And fools who might listen and learn, stand by to look 
and laugh; 

While friends, with kinder eyes, wound deeper by com- 
passion : 



®f Speaking. 3 55 

And thought, finding not a vent, smouldereth, gnawing 
at the heart, 

And the man sinketh in his sphere, for lack of empty 
sounds. 

There he many cares and sorrows thou hast not yet con- 
sidered, 

And well may thy soul rejoice in the fair privilege of 
speech ; 

For at every turn to want a word, — thou canst not guess 
that want ; 

It is as lack of hreath or hread : life hath no grief more 
galling. 

Come, I will tell thee of a joy, which the parasites of 
pleasure have not known, 

Though earth and air and sea have gorged all the appe- 
tites of sense. 

Behold, what fire is in his eye, what fervour on his 
cheek ! 

That glorious burst of winged words ! how hound they 
from his tongue ! 

The full expression of the mighty thought, the strong 
triumphant argument, 

The rush of native eloquence, resistless as Niagara, 

The keen demand, the clear reply, the fine poetic image, 

The nice analogy, the clenching fact, the metaphor hold 
and free, 

The grasp of concentrated intellect wielding the omni- 
potence of truth, 

The grandeur of his speech in his majesty of mind ! 

Champion of the right, — patriot, or priest, or pleader of 
the innocent cause, 



156 m Sptakkg. 

Upon whose lips the mystic bee hath dropped the honey 

of persuasion, 
Whose heart and tongue have been touched, as of old, by 

the live coal from the altar, 
How wide the spreading of thy peace, how deep the 

draught of thy pleasures ! 
To hold the multitude as one, breathing in measured 

cadence, 
A thousand men with flashing eyes, waiting upon thy 

wiU; 
A thousand hearts kindled by thee with consecrated fire, 
Ten flaming spiritual hecatombs offered on the mount 

of God : 
And now a pause, a thrilling pause, — they live but in 

thy words, — 
Thou hast broken the bounds of self, as the Nile at its 

rising, 
Thou art expanded into them, one faith, one hope, one 

spirit, 
They breathe but in thy breath, their minds are passive 

unto thine, 
Thou turnest the key of their love, bending their affec- 
tions to thy purpose, 
And all, in sympathy with thee, tremble with tumultuous 

emotions : 
Verily, O man, with truth for thy theme, eloquence shall 

throne thee with archangels. 



15T 



4&W drachma for a good book, and a thousand talents 

for a true friend ; — 
So standeth the market, where scarce is ever costly : 
Yea, were the diamonds of Grolconda common as shingles 

on the shore, 
A ripe apple would ransom kings before a shining stone : 
And so, were a wholesome book as rare as an honest 

friend, 
To choose the book be mine : the friend let another take. 
For altered looks and jealousies and fears have none 

entrance there : 
The silent volume listeneth well, and speaketh when thou 

listest : 
It praiseth thy good without envy, it chideth thine evil 

without malice, 
It is to thee thy waiting slave, and thine unbending 

teacher. 
Need to humour no caprice, need to bear with no infir- 
mity; 



158 m pairing. 

Thy sin, thy slander, or neglect, chilleth not, quencheth 

not, its love : 
Unalterably speaketh it the truth, warped nor by error 

nor interest ; 
For a good book is the best of friends, the same to-day 

and for ever. 

(£o draw thee out of self, thy petty plans and cautions, 
To teach thee what thou lackest, to tell thee how largely 

thou art blest, 
To lure thy thought from sorrow, to feed thy famished 

mind, 
To graft another's wisdom on thee, pruning thine own 

folly, 
Choose discreetly, and well digest the volume most suited 

to thy case, 
Touching not religion with levity, nor deep things when 

thou art wearied. 
Thy mind is freshened by morning air, grapple with 

science and philosophy ; 
Noon hath unnerved thy thoughts, dream for a while on 

fictions : 
Grey evening sobereth thy spirit, walk thou then with 

worshippers : 
But reason shall dig deepest in the night, and fancy fly 

most free. 

O books, ye monuments of mind, concrete wisdom of 
the wisest ; 

Sweet solaces of daily life ; proofs and results of immor- 
tality ; 

Trees yielding all fruits, whose leaves are for the healing 
of the nations ; 



&i pairing. 159 

Groves of knowledge, where all may eat, nor fear a flam- 
ing sword : 

Gentle comrades, kind advisers ; friends, comforts, trea- 
sures : 

Helps, governments, diversities of tongues ; who can 
weigh your worth ? — 

To walk no longer with the just ; to he driven from the 
porch of science ; 

To hid long adieu to those intimate ones, poets, philoso- 
phers, and teachers ; * 

To see no record of the sympathies which hind thee in 
communion with the good; 

To he thrust from the feet of Him who spake as never 
man spake ; 

To have no avenue to heaven hut the dim aisle of super- 
stition , 

To live as an Esquimaux, in lethargy ; to die as the 
Mohawk in ignorance : 

what were life, hut a hlank ? what were death, hut a 
terror ? 

What were man, hut a "burden to himself? what were 
mind, hut misery ? 

Yea, let another Omar hum the full library of know- 
ledge, 

And the broad world may perish in the flames, offered on 
the ashes of its wisdom ! 



160 



f£f)£ pen of a ready writer, whereunto shall it be likened ? 
Ask of the scholar, he shall know, — to the chains that 

bind a Proteus : 
Ask of the poet, he shall say, — to the sun, the lamp of 

heaven : 
Ask of thy neighbour, he can answer, — to the friend that 

telleth my thought : 
The merchant considereth it well, as a ship freighted with 

wares ; 
The divine holdeth it a miracle, giving utterance to the 

dumb. 
It fixeth, expoundeth, and disseminate th sentiment ; 
Chaining up a thought, clearing it of mystery, and send- 
ing it bright into the wcrld. 
To think rightly, is of knowledge ; to speak fluently, is 

of nature ; 
To read with profit, is of care ; but to write aptly, is of 

practice. 



©f Writing. 161 

No talent among men hath more scholars, and fewer 

masters : 
For to write is to speak beyond hearing, and none stand 

by to explain. 
To be accurate, write; to remember, write* to know 

thine own mind, write ; 
And a written prayer is a prayer of faith : special, sure, 

and to be answered. 
Hast thou a thought upon thy brain, catch it while thou 

canst ; 
Or other thoughts shall settle there, and this shall soon 

take wing : 
Thine uncompounded unity of soul, which argueth and 

maketh it immortal, 
Yieldeth up its momentary self to every single thought ; 
Therefore, to husband thine ideas, and give them stability 

and substance, 
Write often for thy secret eye: so shalt thou grow 

wiser. 
The commonest mind is full of thoughts ; some worthy 

of the rarest : 
And could it see them fairly writ, would wonder at its 

wealth. 

$ precious compensation to the dumb, to write his wants 

and wishes : 
dear amends to the stammering tongue, to pen his 

burning thoughts ! 
To be of the college of Eloquence, through these silent 

symbols ; 
To pour out all the flowing mind without the toil of 

speech ; 

M 



162 m JHritmg. 

To show the hahhling world how it might discourse more 
sweetly ; 

To prove that merchandize of words bringeth no mono- 
poly of wisdom ; 

To take sweet vengeance on a prating crew, for the 
tongue's dishonour, 

By the large triumph of the pen, the homage rendered 
to a writing. 

With such, that telegraph of mind is dearer than wealth 
or wisdom, 

Enabling to please without pain, to impart without humi- 
liation. 

Jpair girl, whose eye hath caught the rustic penmanship 

of love, 
Let thy bright brow and blushing cheek confess in this 

sweet hour, — 
Let thy full heart, poor guilty one, whom the scroll of 

pardon hath just reached, — 
Thy wet glad face, mother, with news of a far-off 

child,— 
Thy strong and manly delight, pilgrim of other shores, 
When the dear voice of thy betrothed speaketh in the 

letter of affection, — 
Let the young poet, exulting in his lay, and hope (how 

false) of fame, 
While watching at deep midnight, he buildeth up the 

verse, — 
Let the calm child of genius, whose name shall never 

die, 
For that the transcript of his mind hath made his thoughts 

immortal, — 



M mn&a$. 163 

Let these, let all, with no faint praise, with no light gra- 
titude, confess 

The blessings poured upon the earth from the pen of a 
ready writer. 

Moreover, their preeiousness in absence is proved by 
the desire of their presence : 

When the despairing lover waiteth day after day, 

Looking for a word in reply, one word writ by that 
hand, 

And cursing bitterly the morn ushered in by blank dis- 
appointment : 

Or when the long-looked-for answer argueth a cooling 
friend, 

And the mind is plied suspiciously with dark inexplica- 
ble doubts, 

While thy wounded heart counteth its imaginary scars, 

And thou art the innocent and injured, that friend the 
capricious and in fault : 

Or when the earnest petition, that craveth for thy needs, 

Unheeded, yea, unopened, tortureth with starving delay : 

Or when the silence of a son, who would have written of 
his welfare, 

Racketh a father's bosom with sharp-cutting fears. 

For a letter, timely writ, is a rivet to the chain of affec- 
tion, 

And a letter, untimely delayed, is as rust to the solder. 

The pen, flowing with love, or dipped black in hate, 

Or tipped with delicate courtesies, or harshly edged with 
censure, 

Hath quickened more good than the sun, more evil than 
the sword, 

M 2 



164 ®i Writing 

More joy than woman's smile, more woe than frowning 

fortune ; 
And shouldst thou ask my judgment of that which hath 

most profit in the world, 
For answer take thou this, The prudent penning of a 

letter. 

Chou hast not lost an hour, whereof there is a record : 
A written thought at midnight shall redeem the livelong 

day. 
Idea is as a shadow that departeth, speech is fleeting as 

the wind, 
Beading is an unrememhered pastime ; hut a writing is 

eternal : 
For therein the dead heart liveth, the clay-cold tongue is 

eloquent, 
And the quick eye of the reader is cleared hy the reed of 

the scrihe. 
As a fossil in the rock, or a coin in the mortar of a ruin, 
So the symholled thoughts tell of a departed soul: 
The plastic hand hath its witness in a statue, and exacti- 
tude of vision in a picture, 
And so, the mind that was among us, in its writings is 

embalmed. 



165 



if Hbalfy. 



ij9r0&tjjaltt|> hath a sister Meanness, his fixed antagonist 

heart-fellow, 
Who often outliveth the short career of the brother she 

despiseth : 
She hath lean lips and a sharp look, and her eyes are 

red and hungry ; 
But he sloucheth in his gait, and his mouth speaketh 

loosely and maudlin. 
Let a spendthrift grow to be old, he will set his heart on 

saving, 
And labour to build up by penury that which extrava- 
gance threw down : 
Even so, with most men, do riches earn themselves a 

double curse; 
They are ill-got by tight dealing : they are ill-spent by 

loose squandering. 
Give me enough, saith Wisdom ; — for he feareth to ask 

for more; 



3 66 mmtdfy. 

And that by the sweat of my brow, addeth stout-hearted 

Independence : 
Give me enough, and not less, for want is leagued with 

the tempter; 
Poverty shall make a man desperate, and hurry him 

ruthless into crime : 
Give me enough, and not more, saving for the children 

of distress ; 
Wealth ofttimes killeth, where want but hindereth the 

budding : 
There is green glad summer near the pole, though brief 

and after long winter, 
But the burnt breasts of the torrid zone yield never 

kindly nourishment. 
Wouldst thou be poor, scatter to the rich, — and reap the 

tares of ingratitude ; 
Wouldst thou be rich, give unto the poor ; — thou shalt 

have thine own with usury : 
For the secret hand of Providence prospereth the charit- 
able all ways, 
Good luck shall he have in his pursuits, and his heart 

shall be glad within him ; 
Yet perchance he never shall perceive, that, even as to 

earthly gains, 
The cause of his weal, as of his joy, hath been small 

givings to the poor. 

5n the plain of Benares is there found a root that 

fathereth a forest, 
Where round the parent banian tree drop its living 

scions ; 
Thirstily they strain to the earth, like stalactites in a 

grotto, 



m SKealty. 167 

And strike broad roots, and branch again, lengthening 

their cool arcades : 
And the dervish madly danceth there, and the faquir is 

torturing his flesh, 
And the calm brahmin worshippeth the sleek and pam 

pered bull ; 
At the base lean jackals coil, while from above depending 
With dull malignant stare watcheth the branch-like boa. 
Even so, in man's heart is a sin that is the root of all 

evil; 
Whose fibres strangle the affections, whose branches 

overgrow the mind : 
And oftenest beneath its shadow thou shalt meet dis- 
torted piety, — 
The clenched and rigid fist, with the eyes upturned to 

heaven, 
Fanatic zeal with miserly severity, a mixture of gain 

with godliness, 
And him, against whom passion hath no power, kneel- 
ing to a golden calf : 
The hungry hounds of extortion are there, the bond, and 

the mortgage, and the writ, 
While the appetite for gold, unslumbering, watcheth to 

glut its maw : — 
And the heart, so tenanted and shaded, is cold to all 

things else ; 
It seeth not the sunshine of heaven, nor is warmed by 

the light of charity. 

Jfor covetousness disbelieveth God, and laugheth at the 

rights of men ; 
Spurring unto theft and lying, and tempting to the 

poison and the knife ; 



168 M ffibattfe. 

It sundereth the bonds of love, and quickeneth the 

flames of hate ; 
A curse that shall wither the brain, and case the heart 

with iron. 
Content is the true riches, for without it there is no 

satisfying, 
But a ravenous all-devouring hunger gnaweth the vitals 

of the soul. 
The wise man knoweth where to stop, as he runneth in 

the race of fortune, 
For experience of old hath taught him, that happiness 

lingereth midway ; 
And many in hot pursuit have hasted to the goal of 

wealth, 
But have lost, as they ran, those apples of gold, — the 

mind and the power to enjoy it. 

Chere is no greater evil among men than a testament 
framed with injustice : 

Where caprice hath guided the boon, or dishonesty re- 
fused what was due. 

Generous is the robber on the highway, in the open dar- 
ing of his guilt, 

To the secret coward, whose malice liveth and harmeth 
after him ; 

Who smoothly sank into the tomb, with the smile of 
fraud upon his face, 

And the last black deed of his existence was injury with- 
out redress : 

For deaf is the ear of the dead, and can hear no palliat- 
ing reasons ; 

The smiter is not among the living, and Bight pleadeth 
but in vain. 



•f meal% 169 

Yet shall the curse of the oppressed he as blight upon 

the grave of the unjust ; 
Yea, bitterly shall that hand-writing testify against him 

at the judgment. 
I saw the humble relation that tended the peevishness 

of wealth, 
And ministered, with kind hand, to the wailings of dis- 
ease and discontent : 
I noted how watchfulness and care were feeding on the 

marrow of her youth, 
How heavy was the yoke of dependence, loaded by petty 

tyranny; 
Yet I heard the frequent suggestion, — It can be but a 

little longer, 
Patience and mute submission shall one day reap a rich 

reward. 
So, tacitly enduring much, waited that humble friend, 
Putting off the lover of her youth until the dawn of 

wealth : 
And it came, that day of release, and the freed heart 

could not sorrow, 
For now were the years of promise to yield their golden 

harvest : 
Hope, so long deferred, sickly sparkled in her eye, 
The miserable past was forgotten, as she looked for the 

happier future, 
And she checked, as unworthy and ungrateful, the dark 

suspicious thought 
That perchance her right had been the safer, if not left 

alone with honour : 
But, alas, the sad knowledge soon came, that her stern 

task-master's will 



170 ®f »a% 

Hath rewarded her toil with a jibe, her patience with 
utter destitution ! — 

Shall not the scourge of justice lash that cruel coward, 

Who mingled the gall of ingratitude with the bitterness 
of disappointment ? 

Shall not the hate of men, and vengeance, fiercely pur- 
suing, 

Hunt down the wretched being that sinneth in his 
grave ? 

He fancied his idol self safe from the wrath of his fel- 
lows, 

But Hades rose as he came in, to point at him the finger 
of scorn ; 

And again must he meet that orphan-maid to answer her 
face to face, 

And her wrongs shall cling around his neck, to hinder 
him from rising with the just : 

For his last most solemn act hath linked his name with 
liar, 

And the crime of Ananias is branded on his brow ! 

& good man eommendeth his cause to the one great 
Patron of innocence, 

Convinced of justice at the last, and sure of good mean- 
while. 

He knoweth he hath a Guardian, wise and kind and 
strong, 

And can thank Him for giving, or refusing, the trust or 
the curse of riches : 

His confidence standeth as a rock ; he dreadeth not 
malice nor caprice, 

Nor the whisperings of artful men, nor envious secret 
influence ; 



#f Wttalfy. 171 

He scorneth servile compromise, and the pliant mouth - 

ings of deceit ; 
He maketh not a show of love, where he cannot concede 

esteem ; 
He regardeth ill-got wealth, as the root most fruitful of 

wretchedness, 
So he walketh in straight integrity, leaning on God and 

his right. 

$o gain, hut hy its price: lahour, for the poor mans 

meal, 
Ofttimes heart-sickening toil, to win him a morsel for his 

hunger : 
Lahour, for the chapman at his trade, a dull unvaried 

round, 
Year after year, unto death ; yea, what a weariness is it ! 
Labour, for the pale-faced scribe, drudging at his hated 

desk, 
Who bartereth for needful pittance the untold gold of 

health ; 
Labour, with fear, for the merchant, whose hopes are 

ventured on the sea ; 
Labour, with care, for the man of law, responsible in his 

gains ; 
Labour, with envy and annoyance, where strangers will 

thee wealth ; 
Labour, with indolence and gloom, where wealth falleth 

from a father ; 
Labour unto all, whether aching thews, or aching head. 

or spirit, — 
The curse on the sons of men, in all their states, is 

labour. 



172 m ffibalty. 

Nevertheless, to the diligent, labour bringeth blessing: 
The thought of duty sweeteneth toil, and travail is as 

pleasure; 
And time spent in doing hath a comfort that is not for 

the idle, 
The hardship is transmuted into joy by the dear alchemy 

of Mercy. 
Labour is good for a man, bracing up his energies to 

conquest, 
And without it life is dull, the man perceiving himself 

useless : 
For wearily the body groaneth, like a door on rusty 

hinges, 
And the grasp of the mind is weakened, as the talons of 

a caged vulture. 
Wealth hath never given happiness, but often hastened 

misery : 
Enough hath never caused misery, but often quickened 

happiness : 
Enough is less than thy thought, pampered creature 

of society, 
And he that hath more than enough, is a thief of the 

rights of his brother. 



173 



®f Inwnium. 



; is proud of his mind, boasting that it giveth him 

divinity, 
Yet with all its powers can it originate nothing ; 
For the great God into all His works hath largely poured 

out Himself, 
Saving one special property, the grand prerogative, — 

Creation. 
To improve and expand is ours, as well as to limit and 

defeat ; 
But to create a thought or a thing is hopeless and im- 
possible. 
Can a man make matter ? — and yet this would-be god 
Thinketh to make mind, and form original idea : 
The potter must have his clay, and the mason his 

quarry, 
And mind must drain ideas from everything around it. 
Doth the soil generate herbs, or the torrid air breed 

flies, 



174 ®i Intention. 

Or tlie water frame its monads, or the mist its swarming 

blight?— 
Mediately, through thousand generations, having seed 

within themselves, 
All things, rare or gross, own one common Father. 
Truly spake Wisdom, There is nothing new under the 

sun: 
We only arrange and combine the ancient elements of all 

things. 
Invention is activity of mind, as fire is air in motion ; 
A sharpening of the spiritual sight, to discern hidden 

aptitudes : 
From the basket and acanthus, is modelled the graceful 

capital ; 
The shadowed profile on the wall helpeth the limner to 

his likeness ; 
The footmarks, stamped in clay, lead on the thoughts to 

printing ; 
The strange skin garments cast upon the shore sug- 
gest another hemisphere : 
A falling apple taught the sage pervading gravitation ; 
The Huron is certain of his prey, from tracks upon the 

grass ; 
And shrewdness, guessing out the hint, followeth on the 

trail: 
But the hint must be given, the trail must be there, or 

the keenest sight is as blindness. 

ISehold the barren reef, which an earthquake hath just 

left dry ; 
It hath no beauty to boast of, no harvest of fair 

fruits : 



<§f fntatftat. 175 

But soon the lichen fixeth there, and, dying, diggeth its 
own grave, 

And softening suns and splitting frosts crumble the re- 
luctant surface ; 

And cormorants roost there, and the snail addeth its 
slime, 

And efts, with muddy feet, bring their welcome tribute ; 

And the sea casteth out her dead, wrapped in a shroud 
of weeds ; 

And orderly nature arrangeth again the disunited 
atoms ; 

Anon, the cold smooth stone is warm with feathery 



And the light sporules of the fern are dropt by the pass- 
ing wind, 
The wood-pigeon, on swift wing, leaveth its crop-full of 

grain, 
The squirrel's jealous care planteth the fir-cone and the 

filbert: 
Years pass, and the sterile rock is rank with tangled 

herbage ; 
The wild- vine clingeth to the briar, and ivy runneth 

green among the corn, 
Lordly beeches are studded on the down, and willows 

crowd around the rivulet, 
And the tall pine and hazel-thicket shade the rambling 

hunter. 
Shall the rock boast of its fertility ? shall it lift the head 

in pride ? — 
Shall the mind of man be vain of the harvest of its 

thoughts ? 
The savage is that rock; and a million chances from 

without, 



176 #f gttfentiott. 

By little and little acting on the mind, heap up the hot- 
bed of society ; 

And the soul, fed and fattened on the thoughts and 
things around it, 

Groweth to perfection, full of fruit, the fruit of foreign 



For we learn upon a hint, we find upon a clue, 

We yield an hundred-fold ; hut the great sower is 

Analogy, 
There must he an acrid sloe before a luscious peach, 
A boll of rotting flax before the bridal veil, 
An egg before an eagle, a thought before a thing, 
A spark struck into tinder to light the lamp of know- 
ledge, 
A slight suggestive nod to guide the watching mind, 
A half-seen hand upon the wall, pointing to the balance 

of Comparison. 
By culture man may do all things, short of the miracle, — 

Creation ; 
Here is the limit of thy power,— here let thy pride be 

stayed : 
The soil may be rich, and the mind may be active, but 

neither yield unsown ; 
The eye cannot make light, nor the mind make spirit : 
Therefore it is wise in man to name all novelty Inven- 
tion ; 
For it is to find out things that are, not to create the un- 

existing : 
It is to cling to contiguities, to be keen in catching 

likeness, 
And with energetic elasticity to leap the gulfs of con- 
trast. 



•f Mt&mthm. 177 

The globe knowetli not increase, either of matter or 

spirit; 
Atoms and thoughts are used again, mixing in varied 

combinations ; 
And though, by moulding them anew, thou makest them 

thine own, 
Yet have they served thousands, and all their merit is of 

God. 



178 



§f pintle. 



&tzm£ of thought for the sage's brow, and laughing 

lines for the fool's face ; 
For all things leave their track in the mind ; and the 

glass of the mind is faithful. 
Seest thou much mirth upon the cheek ? there is then 

little exercise of virtue ; 
For he that looketh on the world, cannot be glad and 

good: 
Seest thou much gravity in the eye ? be not assured of 

finding wisdom ; 
For she hath too great praise, not to get many mimics 
There is a grave-faced folly; and verily, a laughter- 
loving wisdom ; 
And what, if surface-judges account it vain frivolity ? 
There is indeed an evil in excess, and a field may lie 

fallow too long ; 
Yet merriment is often as a troth, that mantleth on the 

strong mind : 



m %Meah. 179 

And note thou this for a verity, — the subtlest thinker 

when alone, 
From ease of thoughts unbent, will laugh the loudest 

with his fellows : 
And well is the loveliness of wisdom mirrored in a 

cheerful countenance, 
Justly the deepest pools are proved by dimpling eddies ; 
For that, a true philosophy commandeth an innocent life, 
And the unguilty spirit is lighter than a linnet's heart : 
Yea, there is no cosmetic like a holy conscience ; 
The eye is bright with trust, the cheek bloomed over 

with affection, 
The brow unwrinkled by a care, and the lip triumphant 

in its gladness 

&nd for yon grave-faced folly, need not far to look for 

her ; 
How seriously on trifles dote those leaden eyes, 
How ruefully she sigheth after chances long gone by, 
How sulkily she moaneth over evils without cure ! 
I have known a true-born mirth, the child of innocence 

and wisdom, 
I have seen a base-born gravity, mingled of ignorance 

and guilt : 
And again, a base-born mirth, springing out of careless 

ness and folly, 
And again, a true-born gravity, the product of reflection 

and right fear. 
The wounded partridge hideth in a furrow, and a stricken 

conscience would be left alone ; 
But when its breast is healed, it runneth gladly with its 

fellows : 

N 2 



180 #f Jibicttk 

Whereas the solitary heron, standing in the sedgy fen, 
Holdeth aloof from the social world, intent on wiles and 
death. 

jleed but of light philosophy to dare the world's dread 



For a little mind courteth notoriety, to illustrate its puny 

self: 
But the sneer of a man's own comrades trieth the 

muscles of courage, 
And to be derided in his home is as a viper in the nest : 
The laugh of a hooting world hath in it a notion of sub 

limity, 
But the tittering private circle stingeth as a hive of 



Some have commended ridicule, counting it the test of 

truth, 
But neither wittily nor wisely; for truth must prove 

ridicule : 
Otherwise a blunt bulrush is to pierce the proof armour 

of argument, 
Because the stolidity of ignorance took it for a barbed 

shaft ■ ■ 
Softer is the hide of the rhinoceros, than the heart of de- 
riding unbelief, ; 
And truth is idler there, than the Bushman's feathered 

reed : 
A droll conceit parrieth a thrust, that should have hit 

the conscience, 
And the leering looks of humour tickle the childish 

mind ; 
For that the matter of a man is mingled most with folly. 



•f Ptole. 181 

Neither can he long endure the searching gaze of 

wisdom. 
It is pleasanter to see a laughing cheek than a serious 

forehead, 
And there liveth not one among a thousand whose idol 

is not pleasure. 
Eidicule is a weak weapon, when levelled at a strong 

mind : 
But common men are cowards, and dread an empty 

laugh. 
Fear a nettle, and touch it tenderly, its poison shall hum 

thee to the shoulder ; 
But grasp it with a hold hand, — is it not a bundle of 

myrrh? 
Betray mean terror of ridicule, thou shalt find fools 

enough to mock thee ; 
But answer thou their laughter with contempt, and the 

scoffers will lick thy feet 



J 82 



§f fammmMim. 



QEfyt praise of holy men is a promise of praise from their 

Master ; 
A fore-running earnest of thy welcome, — Well done, 

faithful servant ; 
A rich preludious note, that droppeth softly on thine 

ear, 
To tell thee the chords of thy heart are in tune with the 

choirs of heaven. 
Yet is it a dangerous hearing, for the sweetness may lull 

thee into slumber, 
And the cordial quaffed with thirst may generate the 

fumes of presumption. 
So seek it not for itself, but taste, and go gladly on thy 

way, 
For the mariner slacketh not his sail, though the sandal- 
groves of Araby allure him ; 
And the fragrance of that iu cense would harm thee, as 

when, on a summer evening, 



ffif €mmm%utwu. 183 

The honied yellow flowers of the broom oppress thy 
charmed sense : 

And a man hath too much of praise, for he praiseth 
himself continually ; 

Neither lacketh he at any time self-commendation or ex- 
cuse. 

praise a fool, and slay him : for the canvas of his vanity 

is spread ; 
His bark is shallow in the water, and a sudden gust shall 

sink it : 
Praise a wise man, and speed him on his way ; for he 

carrieth the ballast of humility, 
And is glad when his course is cheered by the sympathy 

of brethren ashore. 
The praise of a good man is good, for he holdeth up the 

mirror of Truth, 
That Virtue may see her own beauty, and delight in her 

own fair face : 
The praise of a bad man is evil, for he hideth the defor- 
mity of Vice, 
Casting the mantle of a queen around the limbs of a 

leper. 
Praise is rebuke to the man whose conscience alloweth it 

not: 
And where conscience feeleth it her due, no praise is bet- 
ter than a little. 
He that despiseth the outward appearance, despiseth the 

esteem of his fellows ; 
And he that overmuch regardeth it, shall earn only their 

contempt : 
The honest commendation of an equal no one can scorn, 

and be blameless, 



184 #f (ftjommzxtbutxau. 

Yet even that fair fame no one can hunt for, and be 

honoured : 
If it come, accept it and be thankful, and be thou hum- 
ble in accepting ; 
If it tarry, be not thou cast down ; the bee can gather 

honey out of rue : 
And is thine aim so low, that the breath of those around 

thee 
Can speed thy feathered arrow, or retard its flight? 
The child shooteth at a butterfly, but the man's mark is 

an eagle ; 
And while his fellows talk, he hath conquered in the 

clouds. 
Ally thee to truth and godliness, and use the talents in 

thy charge ; 
So shalt thou walk in peace, deserving, if not having. 
With a Mend, praise him when thou canst ; for many a 

friendship hath decayed, 
Like a plant in a crowded corner, for want of sunshine 

on its leaves : 
With another, praise him not often — otherwise he shall 

despise thee ; 
But be thou frugal in commending; so will he give 

honour to thy judgment : 
For thou that dost so zealously commend, art acknow- 
ledging thine own inferiority, 
And he, thou so highly hast exalted, shall proudly look 

down on thy esteem. 

SSiilt thou that one remember a thing ? — praise him in 

the midst of thy advice ; 
Never yet forgat man the word whereby he hath been 

praised. 



@f €ommznbntxon. 185 

Better to be censured by a thousand fools, than approved 

but by one man that is wise ; 
For the pious are slower to help right, than the profane 

to hinder it : 
So, where the world rebuketh, there look thou for the 

excellent, 
And be suspicious of the good, which wicked men can 

praise. 
The captain bindeth his troop, not more by severity than 

kindness, 
And justly, should recompense well-doing, as well as be 

strict with an offender ; 
The laurel is cheap to the giver, but precious in his sight 

who hath won it, 
And the heart of the soldier rejoiceth in the approving 

glance of his chief. 
Timely-given praise is even better than the merited re- 
buke of censure, 
For the sun is more needful to the plant than the knife 

that cutteth out a canker ; 
Many a father hath erred, in that he hath withheld re- 
proof, 
But more have mostly sinned, in withholding praise 

where it was due : 
There be many such as Eh among men ; but these be 

more culpable than Eh, 
Who chill the fountain of exertion by the freezing looks 

of indifference : 
Ye call a man easy and good, yet he is as a two-edged 

sword ; 
He rebuketh not vice, and it is strong ; he comforteth 

not virtue, and it fainteth. 



186 #f ^ommmhutxoxt. 

There is nothing more potent among men than a gift 

timely bestowed; 
And a gift kept back where it was hoped, separateth chief 

friends : 
For what is a gift but a symbol, giving substance to 

praise and esteem ? 
And where is a sharper arrow than the sting of unmerited 

neglect ? 

Expect not praise from the mean, neither gratitude from 

the selfish ; 
And to keep the proud thy friend, see thou do him not a 

service : 
For, behold, he will hate thee for his debt : thou hast 

humbled him by giving ; * 
And his stubbornness never shall acknowledge the good 

he hath taken from thy hand : 
Yea, rather will he turn and be thy foe, lest thou gather 

from his friendship 
That he doth account thee creditor, and standeth in the 

second place. 
Still, kindly feeling heart, be not thou chilled by the 

thankless, 
Neither let the breath of gratitude fan thee into momen- 
tary heat : 
Do good for good's own sake, looking not to worthiness 

nor love ; 
Fling thy grain among the rocks, cast thy bread upon 

the waters, 
His claim be strongest to thy help, who is thrown most 

helplessly upon thee, — 
So shalt thou have a better praise, and reap a richer 

harvest of reward. 



<©f CnmmwimtxatT- 187 

If a man hold fast to thy creed, and fit his thinking to 

thy notions, 
Thou shalt take him for a man right-minded, yea, and 

excuse his evil : 
But seest thou not, higot, that thy zeal is but a hunt- 
ing after praise, 
And the full pleasure of a proselyte lieth in the flattering 

of self? 
A man of many praises meeteth many welcomes, 
But he, who blameth often, shall not keep a friend ; 
The velvet-coated apricot is one thing, and the spiked 

horse-chesnut is another, 
A handle of smooth amber is pleasanter than rough 

buck-horn. 
Show me a popular man ; I can tell thee the secret of 

his power ; 
He hath soothed them with glozing words, lulling their 

ears with flattery, 
The smile of seeming approbation is ever the companion 

of his presence, 
And courteous looks, and warm regards, earn him all 

their hearts. 

Nothing but may be better, and every better might be 

best ; 
The blind may discern, and the simple prove, fault or 

want in all things; 
And a little mind looketh on the lily with a microscopic 

Eager and glad to pry out specks on its robe of purity ; 
But a great mind gazeth on the sun, glorying in his 
brightness, 



188 <Sf (fomntmimtion:- 

And taking large knowledge of his good, in the broad 

prairie of creation : 
What, though he hatch basilisks ? what, though spots are 

on the sun ? 
In fulness is his worth, in fulness be his praise ! 



189 



if S#anpmtiraa- 



HtUlfotefcfle holdeth by the hilt, and heweth out a road 
to conquest ; 

Ignorance graspeth the blade, and is wounded by its 
own good sword : 

Knowledge distilleth health from the virulence of oppo- 
site poisons ; 

Ignorance mixeth wholesomes unto the breeding of dis- 
ease : 

Knowledge is leagued with the universe, and fmdeth a 
friend in all things ; 

But ignorance is everywhere a stranger ; unwelcome, ill 
at ease, and out of place. 

A man is helpless and unsafe up to the measure of his 
ignorance, 

For he lacketh perception of the aptitudes commending 
such a matter to his use, 

Clutching at the horn of danger, while he judgeth it the 
handle of security, 



190 ®f ^df-utqumntrntz. 

Or casting his anchor so widely, that the granite reef is 

just within the tether. 
Untaught in science, he is hut half alive, stupidly taking 

note of nothing, 
Or listening with dull wonder to the crafty saws of an 

empiric : 
Simple in the world, he trusteth unto knaves ; and then 

to make amends for folly, 
Dealeth so shrewdly with the honest, they cannot hut 

suspect him for a thief; 
With an unknown God, he maketh mock of reason, 

fathering contrivance on chance, 
Or doting with superstitious dread on some crooked 

image of his fancy : 
But ignorant of Self, he is weakness at heart ; the key- 
stone crumhleth into sand, 
There is panic in the general's tent, the oak is hollow as 

hemlock ; 
Though the warm sap creepeth up its bark, filling out 

the sheaf of leaves, 
Though knowledge of all things beside add proofs of 

seeming vigour, 
Though the master-mind of the royal sage feast on the 

mysteries of wisdom, 
Yet ignorance of self shall bow down the spirit of a 

Solomon to idols ; 
The storm of temptation, sweeping by, shall snap that 

oak like a reed, 
And the proud luxuriance of its tufted crown drag it the 

sooner to the dust. 

f*outh, confident in self, tampereth with dangerous dalli- 
ance, 



Till the vice his heart once hated hath locked him in 
her foul embrace : 

Manhood, through zeal of doing good, seeketh high 
place for its occasions, 

Unwitting that the bleak mountain air will nip the tender 
budding of his motives : 

Or painfully, for love of truth, he climbeth the ladder of 
science, 

Till pride of intellect heating his heart, warpeth it aside 
to delusion : 

The maiden, to give shadow to her fairness, plaiteth her 
raven hair, 

Heedlessly weaving for her soul the silken net of vanity : 

The grey-beard looketh on his gold, till he loveth its yel- 
low smile, 

Unconscious of the bright decoy which is luring his 
heart unto avarice : 

Wrath avoideth no quarrel, jealousy counteth its sus- 
picions, 

Pining envy gazeth still, and melancholy seeketh soli- 
tude, 

The sensitive broodeth on his slights, the fearful poreth 
over horrors, 

The train of wantonness is fired, the nerves of indecision 
are unstrung ; 

Each special proneness unto harm is pampered by igno- 
rant indulgence, 

And the man, for want of warning, yieldeth to the apt 
temptation. 

% smith at the loom, and a weaver at the forge, were but 
sorry craftsmen ; 



192 #f Mf-Mqxmxntuntz. 

And a ship that saileth on every wind never shall reach 
her port : 

Yet there he thousands among men who heed not the 
leaning of their talents, 

But cutting against the grain, toil on to no good end : 

And the light of a thoughtful spirit is quenched beneath 
the bushel of commerce, 

While meaner plodding minds are driven up the moun- 
tain of philosophy : 

The cedar withereth on a wall, while the house-leek is 
fattening in a hot-bed, 

And the dock with its rank leaves hideth the sun from 
violets. 

To everything a fitting place, a proper honourable use ; 

The humblest measure of mind is bright in its humble 
sphere : 

The glow-worm, creeping in the hedge, lighteth her 
evening torch, 

And her far-off mate, on gossamer sail, steereth his 
course by that star : 

But ignorance mocketh at proprieties, bringing out the 
glow-worm at noon ; 

And setteth the faults of mediocrity in the full blaze of 
wisdom. 

Eavens croaking in darkness, and a sky-lark trilling to 
the sun, 

The voice of a screech-owl from a ruin, and the black- 
bird's whistle in a wood, 

A cushion-footed camel for the sands, and a swift rein- 
deer for the snows, 

A naked skin for Ethiopia, and rich soft furs for the 
Pole: 



@f ^zli-Mspxmxduntz. 193 

In all things is there a fitness : discord with discord hath 

its music ; 
And the harmony of nature is preserved hy each one 

knowing his place. 

Che Mind at an easel, the palsied with a graver, the halt 

making for the goal, 
The deaf ear tuning psaltery, the stammerer discoursing 

eloquence, — 
What wonder if all fail? the shaft flieth wide of the 

mark 
Alike if itself he crooked, or the how he strung awry ; 
And the mind which were excellent in one way, hut 

foolishly toileth in another, 
What is it but an ill-strung how, and its aim a crooked 

arrow ? 
By knowledge of self, thou provest thy powers : put not 

the racer to the plough, 
Nor goad the toilsome ox to wager his slowness with the 

fleet: 
Consider thy failings, heed thy propensities, search out 

thy latent virtues, 
Analyze the doubtful, cultivate the good, and crush the 

head of evil ; 
So shalt thou catch with quick hand the golden ball of 

opportunity, 
The warrior armed shall be ready for the fray, beside his 

bridled steed; 
Thou shalt ward off special harms, and have the sway of 

circumstance, 
And turn to thy special good the common current of 

events ; 

o 



194 §i ^tli-ucjxtmxthna. 

Choosing from the wardrobe of the world, thou shalt 

suitably clothe thy spirit, 
Nor thrust the white hand of peace into the gauntlet of 

defiance : 
The shepherd shall go with a staff, and conquer by sling 

and stone ; 
The soldier shall let alone the distaff, and the scribe lay 

down the sword ; 
The man unlearned shall keep silence, and earn one 

attribute of wisdom, 
The sage be sparing of his lessons before unhearing 

ears: 
Calm shalt thou be, as a lion in repose, conscious of 

passive strength, 
And the shock that splitteth the globe, shall not un- 
throne thy self-possession. 

Acquaint thee with thyself, man ! so shalt thou be 

humble : 
The hard hot desert of thy heart shall blossom with the 

lily and the rose ; 
The frozen cliffs of pride shall melt, as an iceberg in the 

tropics ; 
The bitter fountains of self-seeking be sweeter than the 

waters of the Nile. 
But if thou lack that wisdom, — thy frail skiff is doomed, 
On stronger eddy whirling to the dreadful gorge ; 
Untaught in that grand lore, thou standest, cased in 

steel, 
To dare with mocking unbelief the thunderbolts of 

heaven. 
For look now around thee on the universe, behold how 

all things serve thee ; 



®i ^tlf-ntqxmmtmxa. 195 

The teeming soil, and the buoyant sea, and undulating 

air, 
Golden crops, and bloomy fruits, and flowers, and pre- 
cious gems, 
Choice perfumes, and fair sights, soft touches and sweet 

music : 
For thee, shoaling up the bay, crowd the finny nations, 
For thee, the cattle on a thousand hills live, and labour, 

and die : 
Light is thy daily slave, darkness inviteth thee to 

slumber ; 
Thou art served by the hands of Beauty, and Sublimity 

kneeleth at thy feet : 
Arise, thou sovereign of creation, and behold thy glory ! 
Yet more, thou hast a mind ; intellect wingeth thee to 

heaven, 
Tendeth thy state on earth, and by it thou divest down 

to hell ; 
Thou hast measured the belts of Saturn, thou hast 

weighed the moons of Jupiter, 
And seen, by reason's eye, the centre of thy globe ; 
Subtly hast thou numbered by billions the leagues be- 
tween sun and sun, 
And noted in thy book the coming of their shadows ; 
With marvellous unerring truth, thou knowest to an 

inch and to an instant, 
The where and the when of the comet's path that shall 

seem to rush by at thy command : 
Arise, thou king of mind, and survey thy dignity ! 
Yet more, — for once believe religion's flattering tale ; 
Thou hast a soul, aye, and a God, — but be not therefore 

humbled ; 

o 2 



196 ®f Jljelf-EtqwEmtante, 

Thy Maker's self was glad to live and die — a man ; 
The brigthest jewel in His crown is voluntary manhood : 
By deep dishonour, and great price, bought He that envied 

freedom, 
But thou wast born an heir of all, thy Master scarce 

could earn. 
O climax unto pride, triumph of humanity, 
triple crown upon thy brow, most high and mighty 

Self! 
Arise, thou Lord of all, thou greater than a God! — 
How saidst thou, wretched being? — cast thy glance 

within ; 
Eegard that painted sepulchre, the hovel of thy heart : 
Ha! with what fearful imagery swarmeth that small 

chamber ; 
The horrid eye of murder, scowling in the dark, 
The bony hand of avarice, filching from the poor, 
The lurid fires of lust, the idiot face of folly, 
The sickening deed of cruelty, the foul fierce orgies of 

the drunken, 
Weak contemptible vanity, stubborn stolid unbelief, 
Envy's devilish sneer, and the vile features of ingrati- 
tude, — 
Man, hast thou seen enough ? or are these full proof 
That thou art a miracle of mercy, and all thy dignity is 

dross ? 



said the wisdom of earth, O mortal, know thy- 
self; 

But better the wisdom of heaven, man, learn thou thy 
God: 

By knowledge of self thou art conusant of evil, and 
mailed in panoply to meet it ; 



By knowledge of God cometh knowledge of good, and 
universal love is at thy heart. 

Every creature knoweth its capacities, running in the 
road of instinct, 

And reason must not lag behind, but serve itself of all 
proprieties : 

The swift to the race, and the strong to the burden, and 
the wise for right direction ; 

For self-knowledge filleth with acceptance its niche in 
the temple of utility : 

But vainly wilt thou look for that knowledge, till the 
clue of all truth is in thy hand, 

For the labpinth of man's heart windeth in complicate 
deceivings : 

Thou canst not sound its depths with the shallow plumb- 
line of reason, 

Till religion, the pilot of the soul, have lent thee her un- 
fathomable coil : 

Therefore, for this grand knowledge, and knowledge is 
the parent of dominion, 

Leam God, thou shalt know thyself ; yea, and shalt have 
mastery of all things. 



198 



(Bf tolig to Animals* 



§sJ§WXlZ upon thee, savage Monarch-Man, proud Mono- 
polist of reason : 
Shame upon Creation's lord, the fierce ensanguined 

despot : 
What, man ! are there not enough, hunger, and diseases, 

and fatigue, — 
And yet must thy goad or thy thong add another sorrow 

to existence ? 
What ! art thou not content thy sin hath dragged down 

suffering and death 
On the poor dumh servants of thy comfort, and yet 

must thou rack them with thy spite ? 
The prodigal heir of creation hath gambled away his 

all,— 
Shall he add torment to the bondage that is galling his 

forfeit serfs ? 
The leader in nature's paean himself hath marred her 

psaltery, 



df Cmeltgr to gimmat^ 199 

Shall lie multiply the din of discord by overstraining all 

the strings? 
The rebel hath fortified his strong-hold, shutting in his 

vassals with him, — 
Shall he aggravate the woes of the besieged by oppres- 
sion from within ? 
Thou twice deformed image of thy Maker, thou hateful 

representative of Love, 
For very shame be merciful, be kind unto the creatures 

thou hast ruined ; 
Earth and her million tribes are cursed for thy sake, 
Earth and her million tribes still writhe beneath thy 

cruelty : 
Liveth there but one among the million that shall not 

bear witness against thee, 
A pensioner of land or air or sea, that hath not whereof 

it will accuse thee ? 
From the elephant toiling at a launch, to the shrew 

mouse in the harvest-field, 
From the whale which the harpooner hath stricken, to 

the minnow caught upon a pin, 
From the albatross wearied in its flight, to the wren in 

her covered nest, 
From the death-moth and lace-winged dragon-fly, to the 

lady-bird and the gnat, 
The verdict of all things is unanimous, finding their 

master cruel : 
The dog, thy humble friend, thy trusting, honest friend ; 
The ass, thine uncomplaining slave, drudging from morn 

to even; 
The lamb, and the timorous hare, and the labouring ox 

at plough ; 



200 ®i (Kntettg to ^ramal*. 

The speckled trout, basking in the shallow, and the par- 
tridge, gleaning in the stubble, 

And the stag at bay, and the worm in thy path, and the 
wild bird pining in captivity, 

And all things that minister alike to thy life and thy 
comfort and thy pride, 

Testify with one sad voice that man is a cruel master. 

Eerily, they are all thine : freely mayst thou serve thee 
of them all : 

They are thine by gift for thy needs, to be used in all 
gratitude and kindness ; 

Gratitude to their God and thine, — their Father and thy 
Father, 

Kindness to them who toil for thee, and help thee with 
their all : 

For meat, but not by wantonness of slaying ; for bur- 
den, but with limits of humanity ; 

For luxury, but not through torture ; for draught, but 
according to the strength : 

For a dog cannot plead his own right, nor render a rea- 
son for exemption, 

Nor give a soft answer unto wrath, to turn aside the un- 
deserved lash ; 

The galled ox cannot complain, nor supplicate a mo- 
ment's respite ; 

The spent horse hideth his distress, till he panteth out 
his spirit at the goal ; 

Also, in the winter of life, when worn by constant toil, 

If ingratitude forget his services, he cannot bring them 
to remembrance ; 

Behold, he is faint with hunger ; the big tear standeth 
in his eye ; 



©f Cnrettg to Qxaxwal*. 201 

His skin is sore with stripes, and he tottereth beneath 
his burden ; 

His limbs are stiff with age, his sinews have lost their 
vigour, 

And pain is stamped upon his face, while he wrestleth 
unequally with toil ; 

Yet once more mutely and meekly endureth he the 
crushing blow ; 

That struggle hath cracked his heart-strings, — the gene- 
rous brute is dead ! 

Liveth there no advocate for him ? no judge to avenge 
his wrongs ? 

No voice that shall be heard in his defence ? no sentence 
to be passed on his oppressor ? 

Yea, the sad eye of the tortured pleadeth pathetically for 
him; 

Yea, all the justice in heaven is roused in indignation at 
his woes ; 

Yea, all the pity upon earth shall call down a curse upon 
the cruel ; 

Yea, the burning malice of the wicked is their own ex- 
ceeding punishment. 

The Angel of Mercy stoppeth not to comfort, but passeth 
by on the other side, 

And hath no tear to shed, when a cruel man is damned. 



202 



§f f rmtirsjjip. 



2W frost to the bud, and blight to the blossom, even 

such is self-interest to friendship : 
For Confidence cannot dwell where Selfishness is porter 

at the gate. 
If thou see thy friend to be selfish, thou canst not be 

sure of his honesty ; 
And in seeking thine own weal, thou hast wronged the 

reliance of thy friend. 
Flattery hideth her varnished face when friendship 

sitteth at his board ; 
And the door is shut upon suspicion, but candour is bid 

glad welcome : 
For friendship abhorreth doubt, its life is in mutual 

trust, 
And perisheth, when artful praise proveth it is sought 

for a purpose. 
A man may be good to thee at times, and render thee 

mighty service, 



®i ixuxtityxy. 203 

Whom yet thy secret soul could not desire as a friend; 
For the sum of life is in trifles, and though, in the 

weightier masses, 
A man refuse thee not his purse, nay, his all in thine 

utmost need, 
Yet if thou canst not feel that his character agreeth with 

thine own, 
Thou never wilt call him friend, though thou render him 

a heartful of gratitude. 
A coarse man grindeth harshly the finer feelings of his 

brother ; 
A common mind will soon depart from the dull com- 
panionship of wisdom ; 
A weak soul dareth not to follow in the track of vigour 

and decision ; 
And the worldly regardeth with scorn the seeming 

foolishness of faith. 
A mountain is made up of atoms, and friendship of 

little matters, 
And if the atoms hold not together, the mountain is 

crumbled into dust. 

Come, I will show thee a friend ; I will paint one worthy 
of thy trust : 

Thine heart shall not weary of him : thou shalt not se- 
cretly despise him. 

Thou art long in learning him, in unravelling all his 
worth ; 

And he dazzleth not thine eyes at first, to be darkened in 
thy sight afterward, 

But riseth from small beginnings, and reacheth the 
height of thine esteem. 



204 #f Jrieritefcip. 

He remembereth that thou art only man ; he expecteth 

not great things from thee ; 
And his forbearance toward thee silently teacheth thee 

to be considerate unto him. 
He despiseth not courtesy of manner, nor neglecteth the 

decencies of life : 
Nor mocketh the failings of others, nor is harsh in his 

censures before thee : 
For so, how couldst thou tell, if he talketh not of thee in 

ridicule ? 
He withholdeth no secret from thee, and rejecteth not 

thine in turn ; 
He shareth his joys with thee, and is glad to bear part in 

thy sorrows. 
Yet one thing, he loveth thee too well to show thee the 

corruptions of his heart : 
For as an ill example strengtheneth the hands of the 

wicked, 
So to put forward thy guilt, is a secret poison to thy 

friend : 
For the evil in his nature is comforted, and he warreth 

more weakly against it, 
If he find that the friend whom he honoureth, is a man 

more sinful than himself. 
I hear the communing of friends ; ye speak out the ful- 
ness of your souls, 
And being but men, as men, ye own to all the sympathies 

of manhood : 
Confidence openeth the lips, indulgence beameth from 

the eye, 
The tongue loveth not boasting, the heart is made glad 

with kindness : 



©I &xwctot$$. 205 

And one standeth not as on a hill, beckoning to the 
other to follow, 

But ye toil up hand in hand, and carry each other's 
burdens. 

Ye commune of hopes and aspirations, the fervent 
breathings of the heart, 

Ye speak with pleasant interchange the treasured secrets 
of affection, 

Ye listen to the voice of complaint, and whisper the lan- 
guage of comfort, 

And as in a double solitude, ye think in each other's 
hearing. 

Choose thy friend discreetly, and see thou consider his 

station, 
For the graduated scale of ranks accordeth with the or- 
dinance of Heaven : 
If a low companion ripen to a friend, in the full sunshine 

of thy confidence, 
Know, that for old age thou hast heaped up sorrow : 
For thou sinkest to that level, and thy kin shall scorn 

thee, 
Yea, and the menial thou hast pampered haply shall 

neglect thee in thy death ; 
And if thou reachest up to high estates, thinking to 

herd with princes, 
What art thou but a footstool, though so near a throne ? 
rush among the lilies, be taught thou art a weed, 
briar among the cedars, hot contempt shall burn thee. 
But thou, friend and scholar, select from thine own 

caste, 



206 ®f Jmnfrafcip. 

And make not an intimate of one, thy servant or thy 
master ; 

For only friendship among men is the true republic, 

Where all have equality of service, and all have freedom 
of command. 

And yet, if thou wilt take my judgment, be shy of too 
much openness with any, 

Lest thou repent hereafter, should he turn and rend 
thee: 

For many an apostate friend hath abused unguarded con- 
fidence, 

And bent to selfish ends the secret of the soul. 

Absence strengtheneth friendship, where the last recol- 
lections were kindly ; 

But it must be good wine at the last, or absence shall 
weaken it daily. 

A rare thing is faith, and friendship is a marvel among 
men, 

Yet strange faces call they friends, and say they believe 
when they doubt. 

Those hours are not lost that are spent in cementing 
affection ; 

For a friend is above gold, precious as the stores of the 
mind. 

Be sparing of advice by words, but teach thy lesson by 
example : 

For the vanity of man may be wounded, and retort un- 
kindly upon thee. 

There be some that never had a friend, because they were 
gross and selfish ; 



#f gikvibtfyip 207 

Worldliness, and apathy, and pride, leave not many that 

are worthy : 
But one who meriteth esteem, need never lack a friend : 
For as thistledown flieth abroad, and casteth its anchor 

in the soil, 
So philanthropy yearneth for a % heart, where it may take 

root and blossom. 

f?et I hear the child of sensibility moaning at the wintry 

cold, 
Wherein the mists of selfishness have wrapped the so- 
ciety of men : 
He grieveth, and hath deep reasons : for falsehood hath 

wronged his trust, 
And the breaches in his bleeding heart have been filled 

with the briars of suspicion. 
For, alas, how few be Mends, of whom charity hath 

hoped well ! 
How few there be among men who forget themselves for 

other ! 
Each one seeketh his own, and looketh on his brethren 

as rivals, 
Masking envy with friendship, to serve his secret ends. 
And the world, that corrupteth all good, hath wronged 

that sacred name, 
For it calle'th any man friend, who is not known for an 

enemy ; 
And such be as the flies of summer, while plenty sitteth 

at thy board : 
But who can wonder at their flight from the cold denials 

of want? 



208 m $xxtTtb*$$. 

Such be as vultures round a carcase assembled together 

for the feast ; 
But a sudden noise scareth them, and forthwith are they 

specks among the clouds. 
There be few, child of sensibility, who deserve to have 

thy confidence ; 
Yet weep not, for there are some, and such some live for 

thee : 
To them is the chilling world a drear and barren scene, 
And gladly seek they such as thou art, for seldom find 

they the occasion : 
For, though no man excludeth himself from the high 

capability of friendship, 
Yet verily the man is a marvel whom truth can write a 

friend. 



•209 



ffi % m. 



WfytVt is a fragrant blossom, that maketh glad the gar- 
den of the heart ; 
Its root lieth deep : it is delicate, vet lasting, as the lilac 

crocus of autumn : 
Loneliness and thought are the dews that water it mom 

and even ; 
Memory and Absence cherish it, as the balmy breathings 

of the south : 
Its sun is the brightness of Affection, and it bloometh in 

the borders of Hope ; 
Its companions are gentle flowers, and the briar wither- 

eth by its side. 
I saw it budding in beauty: I felt the magic of its 

smile; 
The violet rejoiced beneath it. the rose stooped down and 

kissed it ; 
And I thought some cherub had planted there a truant 

flower of Eden, 

p 



21 #f $obz. 

As a bird bringeth foreign seeds, that they may nourish 

in a kindly soil. 
I saw, and asked not its name ; I knew no language was 

so wealthy, 
Though every heart of every clime findeth its echo 

within. 
And yet what shall I say ? Is a sordid man capable of 

Love? 
Hatha seducer known it? Can an adulterer perceive 

it? 
Or he that seeketh strange women, can he feel its 

purity ? 
Or he that changeth often, can he know its truth ? 
Longing for another's happiness, yet often destroying 

its own ; 
Chaste, and looking up to God, as the fountain of ten- 
derness and joy : 
Quiet, yet flowing deep, as the Ehine among rivers ; 
Lasting, and knowing not change — it walketh with Truth 

and Sincerity. 

Hove : — what a volume in a word, an ocean in a tear, 
A seventh heaven in a glance, a whirlwind in a sigh, 
The lightning in a touch, a millennium in a moment, 
What concentrated joy or woe in blest or blighted 

love ! 
For it is that native poetry springing up indigenous to 

Mind, 
The heart's own-country music thrilling all its chords, 
The story without an end that angels throng to hear, 
The word, the king of words, carved on Jehovah's 

heart ! 



®i $abt 211 

Go, call thou snake-eyed malice mercy, call envy 

honest praise, 
Count selfish craft for wisdom, and coward treachery for 

prudence, 
Do homage to blaspheming unbelief as to bold and free 

philosophy, 
And estimate the recklessness of license as the right at- 
tribute of liberty, — 
But with the world, thou friend and scholar, stain not 

this pure name ; 
Nor suffer the majesty of Love to be likened to the 

meanness of desire : 
For love is no more such, than seraphs' hymns are 

discord, 
And such is no more Love, than Etna's breath is 

summer. 

Hove is a sweet idolatry enslaving all the soul, 

A mighty spiritual force, warring with the dulness of 
matter, 

An angel-mind breathed into a mortal, though fallen yet 
how beautiful ! 

All the devotion of the heart in all its depth and grand- 
eur. 

Behold that pale geranium, pent within the cottage 
window ; 

How yearningly it stretcheth to the light its sickly long- 
stalked leaves, 

How it straineth upward to the sun, coveting his sweet 
influences, 

How real a living sacrifice to the god of all its worship ! 

p 2 



212 #| fafe* 

Such is the soul that loveth; and so the rose-tree of 

affection 
Bendeth its every leaf to look on those dear eyes, 
Its every hlushing petal basketh in their light, 
And all its gladness, all its life, is hanging on their 

love. 

3Ef the love of the heart is blighted, it buddeth not 

again : 
If that pleasant song is forgotten, it is to be learnt no 

more : 
Yet often will thought look back, and weep over early 

affection ; 
And the dim notes of that pleasant song will be heard 

as a reproachful spirit, 
Moaning in iEolian strains over the desert of the heart, 
Where the hot siroccos of the world have withered its 

one oasis. 



213 



4&f Itorrrag*. 



a good wife of thy God, for she is the best gift of 

His providence ; 
Yet ask not in bold confidence that which He hath not 

promised : 
Thou knowest not His good will : — be thy prayer then 

submissive thereunto ; 
And leave thy petition to His mercy, assured that He 

will deal well with thee. 
If thou art to have a wife of thy youth, she is now living 

on the earth ; 
Therefore think of her, and pray for her weal; yea, 

though thou hast not seen her. 
They that love early become like-minded, and the tempter 

toucheth them not : 
They grow up leaning on each other, as the olive and the 

vine. 
Youth longeth for a kindred spirit, and yearneth for a 

heart that can commune with his own ; 



214 <§f Patriagt. 

He meditateth night and day, doting on the image of his 

fancy. 
Take heed that what charmeth thee is real, nor springeth 

of thine own imagination ; 
And suffer not trifles to win thy love; for a wife is 

thine unto death. 
The harp and the voice may thrill thee, — sound may en- 
chant thine ear, 
But consider thou, the hand will wither, and the sweet 

notes turn to discord : 
The eye, so hrilliant at even, may be red with sorrow in 

the morning ; 
And the sylph-like form of elegance must writhe in the 

crampings of pain. 

O happy lot, and hallowed, even as the joy of angels, 
Where the golden chain of godliness is entwined with 

the roses of love : 
But beware thou seem not to be holy, to win favour in 

the eyes of a creature, 
For the guilt of the hypocrite is deadly, and winneth 

thee wrath elsewhere. 
The idol of thy heart is, as thou, a probationary sojourner 

on earth ; 
Therefore be chary of her soul, for that is the jewel in 

her casket : 
Let her be a child of God, that she bring with her a 

blessing to thy house,— 
A blessing above riches, and leading contentment in its 

train : 
Let her be an heir of heaven ; so shall she help thee on 

thy way : 



m Iferiag*. 215 

For those who are one in faith, fight double-handed 

against evil. 
Take heed lest she love thee before God; that she be not 

an idolator : 
Yet see thou that she love thee well ; for her heart is the 

heart of woman ; 
And the triple nature of humanity must be bound by a 

triple chain, 
For soul and mind and body — godliness, esteem, and 

affection. 

How beautiful is modesty ! it winneth upon all be- 
holders : 

But a word or a glance may destroy the pure love that 
should have been for thee. 

Affect not to despise beauty : no one is freed from its 
dominion ; 

But regard it not a pearl of price : — it is fleeting as the 
bow in the clouds. 

If the character within be gentle, it often hath its index 
in the countenance : 

The soft smile of a loving face is better than splendour 
that fadeth quickly. 

When thou choosest a wife, think not only of thyself, 

But of those God may give thee of her, that they re- 
proach thee not for their being : 

See that He hath given her health, lest thou lose her 
early and weep : 

See that she springeth of a wholesome stock, that thy 
little ones perish not before thee : 

For many a fair skin hath covered a mining disease, 



216 #f Paniajpc. 

And many a laughing cheek been bright with the glare 
of madness. 

JHark the converse of one thou lovest, that it be simple 

and sincere ; 
For an artful or false woman shall set thy pillow with 

thorns. 
Observe her deportment with others, when she thinketh 

not that thou art nigh, 
For with thee will the blushes of love conceal the true 

colour of her mind. 
Hath she learning ? it is good, so that modesty go with 

it: 
Hath she wisdom ? it is precious, but beware that thou 

exceed ; 
For woman must be subject, and the true mastery is of 

the mind. 
Be joined to thine equal in rank, or the foot of pride 

will kick at thee; 
And look not only for riches, lest thou be mated with 

misery : 
Marry not without means ; for so shouldst thou tempt 

Providence ; 
But wait not for more than enough ; for Marriage is the 

duty of most men : 
Grievous indeed must be the burden that shall outweigh 

innocence and health, 
And a well-assorted marriage hath not many cares. 
In the day of thy joy consider the poor: thou shalt 

reap a rich harvest of blessing ; 
For these be the pensioners of One who filleth thy cup 

with pleasures : 



In the day of thy joy be thankful : He hath well de- 
served thy praise : 

Mean and selfish is the heart that seeketh Him only in 
sorrow. 

For her sake who leaneth on thine arm, court not the 
notice of the world, 

And remember that sober privacy is comelier than pub- 
lic display. 

If thou marriest, thou art allied unto strangers ; see 
they be not such as shame thee : 

If thou marriest, thou lea vest thine own ; see that it be 
not done in anger. 

28ride and bridegroom, pilgrims of life, henceforward to 

travel together, 
In this the beginning of your journey, neglect not the 

favour of Heaven : 
Let the day of hopes fulfilled be blest by many prayers, 
And at even-tide kneel ye together, that your joy be not 

unhallowed : 
Angels that are round you shall be glad, those loving 

ministers of mercy, 
And the richest blessings of your God shall be poured 

on His favoured children. 
Marriage is a figure and an earnest of holier things un- 
seen, 
And reverence well becometh the symbol of dignity and 

glory. 
Keep thy heart pure, lest thou do dishonour to thy 

state ; 
Selfishness is base and hateful; but love considereth not 

itself. 



218 #f itarxage. 

The wicked turneth good into evil, for his mind is 
warped within him : 

But the heart of the righteous is chaste : his conscience 
casteth off sin. 

If thou wilt he loved, render implicit confidence ; 

If thou wouldst not suspect, receive full confidence in 
turn : 

For where trust is not reciprocal, the love that trusted 
withereth. 

Hide not your grief nor your gladness; be open one 
with the other; 

Let bitterness be strange unto your tongues, but sym- 
pathy a dweller in your hearts : 

Imparting halveth the evils, while it doubleth the plea- 
sures of life, 

But sorrows breed and thicken in the gloomy bosom of 
Eeserve. 

3?oung wife, be not froward, nor forget that modesty be- 

cometh thee ; 
If it be discarded now, who will not hold it feigned 

before ? 
But be not as a timid girl, — there is honour due to thine 

estate , 
A matron's modesty is dignified : she blusheth not, 

neither is she bold. 
Be kind to the friends of thine husband, for the love 

they have to him : 
And gently bear with his infirmities : hast thou no need 

of his forbearance ? 
Be not always in each other's company ; it is often good 

to be alone ; 



•f gfetriajp. 219 

And if there be too much sameness, ye cannnot but grow 
weary of each other : 

Ye have each a soul to be nourished, and a mind to be 
taught in wisdom, 

Therefore, as accountable for time, help one another to 
improve it. 

If ye feel love to decline, track out quickly the secret 
cause : 

Let it not rankle for a day, but confess and bewail it to- 
gether : 

Speedily seek to be reconciled, for love is the life of mar- 
riage; 

And be ye co-partners in triumph, conquering the 
peevishness of self. 

ICet no one have thy confidence, wife, saving thine 
husband : 

Have not a Mend more intimate, husband, than thy 
wife. 

In the joy of a well-ordered home be warned that this is 
not your rest ; 

For the substance to come may be forgotten in the pre- 
sent beauty of the shadow. 

If ye are blessed with children, ye have a fearful 
pleasure, 

A deeper care and a higher joy, and the range of your 
existence is widened : 

If God in wisdom refuse them, thank Him for an un- 
known mercy : 

For how can ye tell if they might be a blessing or a 
curse ? 



220 ®f parriagje. 

Yet ye may pray, like Hannah, simply dependent on His 

will : 
Besignation sweeteneth the cup, but impatience dasheth 

it with vinegar. 
Now this is the sum of the matter : — if ye will be happy 

in marriage, 
Confide, love, and be patient: be faithful, firm, and 

holy. 



221 



if #rafe. 



9 fcafct in a house is a well-spring of pleasure, a rries- 
senger of peace and love : 

A resting place for innocence on earth ; a link between 
angels and men : 

Yet is it a talent of trust, a loan to be rendered back 
with interest ; 

A delight, but redolent of care ; honey-sweet, but lack- 
ing not the bitter. 

For character groweth day by day, and all things aid it 
in unfolding, 

And the bent unto good or evil may be given in the 
hours of infancy : 

Scratch the green rind of a sapling, or wantonly twist it 
in the soil, 

The scarred and crooked oak will tell of thee for cen- 
turies to come ; 

Even so mayst thou guide the mind to good, or lead it 
to the marrings of evil, 



222 ©f (Bterftow. 

For disposition is builded up by the fashioning of first 

impressions : 
Wherefore, though the voice of Instruction waiteth for 

the ear of reason, 
Yet with his mother's milk the young child drinketh 

Education. 
Patience is the first great lesson ; he may learn it at the 

breast : 
And the habit of obedience and trust may be grafted on 

his mind in the cradle : 
Hold the little hands in prayer, teach the weak knees 

their kneeling ; 
Let him see thee speaking to thy God ; he will not for- 
get it afterward : 
When old and grey will he feelingly remember a mother s 

tender piety, 
And the touching recollection of her prayers shall arrest 

the strong man in his sin. 

Select not to nurse thy darling one that may taint his 

innocence, 
For example is a constant monitor, and good seed will 

die among the tares. 
The arts of a strange servant have spoiled a gentle dis- 
position : 
"M other, let him learn of thy lips, and be nourished at 

thy breast. 
Character is mainly moulded by the cast of the minds 

that surround it : 
Let then the playmates of thy little one be not other than 

thy judgment shall approve : 
For a child is in a new world, and learneth somewhat 

every moment, 



©f (Btotcattotr. 2-23 

His eye is quick to observe, liis memory storeth in 

secret, 
His ear is greedy of knowledge, and his mind is plastic 

as soft wax. 
Beware then that he heareth what is good, that he 

feedeth not on evil maxims, 
For the seeds of first instructions are dropt into the 

deepest furrows. 
That which immemorial use hath sanctioned, seemeth to 

be right and true ; 
Therefore, never let him have to recollect the time when 

good things were strangers to Ms thought. 
Strive not to centre in thyself, fond mother, all his love ; 
Nay, do not thou so selfishly, but enlarge his heart for 

others ; 
Use him to sympathy betimes, that he learn to be sad 

with the afflicted ; 
And check not a child in his merriment, — should not 

his morning be sunny ? 
Give him not all his desire, so shalt thou strengthen him 

in hope ; 
Neither stop with indulgence the fountain of his tears. 

so shall he fear thy firmness. 
Above all things graft on him subjection, yea, in the 

veriest trifle ; 
Courtesy to all, reverence to some, and to thee unanswer- 

ing obedience. 

Head thou first, and well approve, the books thou givest 

to thy child ; 
But remember the weakness of his thought, and that 

wisdom for him must be diluted : 



224 #f fitaeaiiim. 

In the honied waters of infant tales, let him taste the 

strong wine of truth : 
Pathetic stories soften the heart; hut legends of terror 

oreed midnight misery ; 
Fairy fictions cram the mind with folly, and knowledge 

of evil tempteth to like evil : 
Be not loath to curb imagination, nor he fearful that 

truths will depress it ; 
And for evil, he will learn it soon enough ; he not thou 

the devil's envoy. 
Induce not precocity of intellect, for so shouldst thou 

nourish vanity ; 
Neither can a plant, forced in the hot-hed, stand against 

the frozen hreath of winter. 
The mind is made wealthy hy ideas, hut the multitude of 

words is a clogging weight : 
Therefore he understood in thy teaching, and instruct to 

the measure of capacity. 
Analogy is milk for bahes, hut abstract truths are strong 

meat; 
Precepts and rules are repulsive to a child, but happy 

illustration winneth him : 
In vain shalt thou preach of industry and prudence, till 

he learn of the bee and the ant ; 
Dimly will he think of his soul, till the acorn and the 

chrysalis have taught him ; 
He will fear God in thunder, and worship His loveliness 

in flowers ; 
And parables shall charm his heart, while doctrines seem 

dead mystery : 
Faith shall he learn of the husbandman casting good 

corn into the soil ; 



©f (Ktotntfiom 225 

And if thou train him to trust thee, he will not withhold 

his reliance from the Lord. 
Fearest thou the dark, poor child? I would not have 

thee left to thy terrors ; 
Darkness is the semblance of evil, and nature regardeth 

it with dread : 
Yet know thy father's God is with thee still, to guard 

thee: 
It is a simple lesson of dependence ; let thy tost mind 

anchor upon Him, 
Did a sudden noise affright thee ? lo, this or that hath 

caused it : 
Things undefined are full of dread, and stagger stouter 

nerves. 
The seeds of misery and madness have been sowed in 

the nights of infancy ; 
Therefore be careful that ghastly fears be not the night 

companions of thy child. 

Ho, thou art a landmark on a hill ; thy little ones copy 
thee in all things : 

Let, then, thy religion be perfect : so shalt thou be 
honoured in thy house. 

Be instructed in all wisdom, and communicate that thou 
knowest, 

Otherwise thy learning is hidden, and thus thou seemest 
unwise. 

A sluggard hath no respect: an epicure commandeth 
not reverence ; 

Meanness is always despicable, and folly provoketh con- 
tempt. 

Q 



226 ®i (Kteatiim. 

Those parents are best honoured whose characters best 
deserve it ; 

Show me a child undutiful, I shall know where to look 
for a foolish father : 

Never hath a father done his duty, and lived to be de- 
spised of his son. 

But how can that son reverence an example he dare not 
follow ? 

Should he imitate thee in thine evil ? his scorn is thy 
rebuke. 

Nay, but bring him up aright, in obedience to God and 
to thee ; 

Begin betimes, lest thou fail of his fear; and with judg- 
ment, that thou lose not his love : 

Herein use good discretion, and govern not all alike, 

Yet, perhaps, the fault will be in thee, if kindness prove 
not all-sufficient : 

By kindness, the wolf and the zebra become docile as 
the spaniel and the horse ; 

The kite feedeth with the starling, under the law of kind- 
ness : 

That law shall tame the fiercest, bring down the battle- 
ments of pride, 

Cherish the weak, control the strong, and win the fear- 
ful spirit. 
Be obeyed when thou commandest ; but command not 

often : 
Let thy carriage be the gentleness of love, not the stern 

front of tyranny. 
Make not one child a warning to another ; but chide the 
offender apart : 



§{ mention. 227 

For self-conceit and wounded pride rankle like poisons 

in the soul. 
A mild rebuke in the season of calmness, is better than 

a rod in the heat of passion ; 
Nevertheless, spare not, if thy word hath passed for 

punishment ; 
Let not thy child see thee humbled, nor learn to think 

thee false ; 
Suffer none to reprove thee before him, and reprove not 

thine own purposes by change ; 
Yet speedily turn thou again, and reward him where 

thou canst, 
For kind encouragement in good cutteth at the roots of 

evil. 

jSBrive not a timid infant from his home, in the early 

spring-time of his life, 
Commit not that treasure to an hireling, nor wrench the 

young heart's fibres : 
In his helplessness leave him not alone, a stranger among 

strange children, 
Where affection longeth for thy love, counting the 

dreary hours ; 
Where religion is made a terror, and innocence weepeth 

unheard ; 
Where oppression grindeth without remedy, and cruelty 

delighteth in smiting. 
Wherefore comply with an evil fashion ? Is it not to 

spare thee trouble ? 
Can he gather no knowledge at thy mouth ? Wilt thou 

yield thine honour to another ? 



228 #f (Bbtttatiim. 

What can he gain in learning, to equal what he loseth 

in innocence ? 
Alas ! for the price above gold, by which such learning 

cometh ! 
For emulative pride and envy are the specious idols of 

the diligent, 
Oaths and foul-mouthed sin burn in the language of the 

idle: 
Bolder in that mimic world of boys stare th brazen-fronted 

vice, 
Than thereafter in the haunts of men, where society doth 

shame her into corners. 
My soul, look well around thee, ere thou give thy timid 

infant unto sorrows. 
There be many that say, We were happiest in days long 

past, 
When our deepest care was an ill-conned book, 
And when we sported in that merry sunshine of our 

life, 
Sadness a stranger to the heart, and cheerfulness its gay 

inhabitant. 
True, ye are now less pure, and therefore are more 

wretched: 
But have ye quite forgotten how sorely j% travailed at 

your tasks, 
How childish griefs and disappointments bowed down 

the childish mind ? 
How sorrow sat upon your pillow, and terror hath waked 

you up betimes, 
Dreading the strict hand of justice, that would not wait for 

a reason, 



Or the whims of petty tyrants, children like yourselves, 

Or the pestilent extract of evil poured into the ear of 
innocence ? 

Behold the coral island, fresh from the floor of the At- 
lantic, 

It is dinted by every ripple, and a soft wave can smooth 
its surface ; 

But soon its substance hardeneth in the winds and tro- 
pic sun, 

And weakly the foaming billows break against its ada- 
mantine wall : 

Even thus, though sin and care dash upon the firmness 
of manhood, 

The timid child is wasted most by his petty troubles ; 

And seldom, when life is mature, and the strength pro- 
portioned to the burden, 

Will the feeling mind, that can remember, acknowledge 
to deeper anguish, 

Than when, as a stranger and a little one, the heart first 
ached with anxiety, 

And the sprouting buds of sensibility were bruised by 
the harshness of a school. 

My soul, look well around thee, ere thou give thine in- 
fant unto sorrows. 

Yet there be boisterous tempers, stout nerves, and stub- 
born hearts, 

And there is a riper season, when the mind is well dis- 
ciplined in good, 

And a time, when youth may be bettered by the whole- 
some occasions of knowledge, 

Which rarely will he meet with so well, as among the 
congregation of his fellows. 



230 #f (Efcttntfimr. 

Only for infancy, fond mother, rend not those first affec- 
tions ; 

Only for the sensitive and timorous, consign not thy 
darling unto misery. 

<& man looketh on his little one, as a being of better 
hope; 

In himself ambition is dead, but it hath a resurrection in 
his son : 

That vein is yet untried, — and who can tell if it be not 
golden ? 

While his, well nigh worked out, never yielded aught 
but lead : 

And thus is he hurt more sorely, if his wishes are de- 
feated there, 

He has staked his all upon a throw, and lo ! the dice 
have foiled him. 

All ways, and at all times, men follow on in flocks, 

And the rife epidemic of the day shall tincture the stream 
of education ; 

Fashion is a foolish watcher posted at the tree of know- 
ledge, 

Who phacketh its unripe fruit to pelt away the birds : 

But, for its golden apples, — they dry upon the boughs, 

And few have the courage or the wisdom to eat in spite 
of fashion. 

One while, the fever is to learn, what none will be wiser 
for knowing, 

Exploded errors in extinct tongues, and occasions for 
their use are small ; 

And the bright morning of life, for years of misspent 
time. 



#f iteatimr. 931 

Wasted in following sounds, hath tracked up little 
sense, 

Till at noon a man is thrown upon the world, with a 
mind expert in trifles, 

Having yet everything to learn that can make him good 
or useful : 

The curious spirit of youth is crammed with unwhole- 
some garbage, 

While starving for the mother's milk the breasts of 
nature yield ; 

And high-coloured fables of depravity lure with their 
classic varnish, 

While truth is holding out in vain her mirror much de- 
spised. 

<&f olden time, the fashion was for arms, to make an ac- 
complished slayer, 

And set gregarious man a-tilting with his fellows ; 

Thereafter, occult sciences, and mystic rts, and sym- 
bols, 

How to exorcise a wizard, and how to lay a ghost ; 

Anon, all for gallantry and presence, the minuet, the 
palfrey, and the foil, 

And the grand aim of education was to produce a cox- 
comb ; 

Soon came scholastical dispute with hydra-headed argu- 
ment, 

And the true philosophy of mind confounded in a laby- 
rinth of words ; 

Then the Pantheon, and its orgies, initiating docile 
childhood, 

While diligent youth strove hard to render his all unto 
Caesar ; 



232 <§f (Bhtcation. 

And now is seen the passion for utility, when all things 

are accounted by their price, 
And the wisdom of the wise is busied in hatching golden 

eggs: 
Perchance, not many moons to come, and all will again 

be for abstrusity, 
Unravelling the figured veil that hideth Egypt's gods ; 
Or in those strange Avatars seeking benignant Vishnu, 
Kali, and Kamala the fair, and much invoked Ganesa. 

5Che mines of knowledge are oft laid bare through the 

forked hazle wand of chance, 
And in a mountain of quartz we find a grain of gold. 
Of a truth, it were well to know all things, and to learn 

them all at once, 
And what, though mortal insufficiency attain to small 

knowledge of any ? 
Man loveth exclusions, delighting in the sterile trodden 

path, 
While the broad green meadow is jewelled with wild 

flowers : 
And whether it is better with the many to follow a 

beaten track, 
Or by eccentric wanderings to cull unheeded sweets ? 

TOhen his reason yieldeth fruit, make thy child thy 

friend ; 
For a filial friend is a double gain, a diamond set in gold. 
As an infant, thy mandate was enough, but now let him 

see thy reasons ; 
Confide in him, but with discretion : and bend a willing 

ear to his questions. 



M tilmatium. 233 

More to thee than to all beside, let him owe good coun- 
sel and good guidance ; 

Let him feel his pursuits have an interest, more to thee 
than to all beside. 

Watch his native capacities ; nourish that which suiteth 
him the readiest ; 

And cultivate early those good inclinations wherein thou 
fearest he is most lacking : 

Is he phlegmatic and desponding? let small successes 
comfort his hope : 

Is he obstinate and sanguine ? let petty crosses accus- 
tom him to life : 

Showeth he a sordid spirit? be quick, and teach him 
generosity : 

Inclineth he to liberal excess ? prove to him how hard 
it is to earn. 

Gather to thy hearth such friends as are worthy of ho- 
nour and attention ; 

For the company a man chooseth is a visible index of 
his heart : 

But let not the pastor whom thou hearest be too much a 
familiar in thy house, 

For thy children may see his infirmities, and learn to 
cavil at his teaching. 

It is well to take hold on occasions, and render indirect 
instruction ; 

It is better to teach upon a system, and reap the wisdom 
of books : 

The history of nations yieldeth grand outlines : of per- 
sons, minute details : 

Poetry is polish to the mind, and high abstractions 
cleanse it. 



234 #f (Bbtttatifltt. 

Consider the station of thy son, and breed him to his 

fortune with judgment : 
The rich may profit in much which would bring small 

advantage to the poor. 
But with all thy care for thy son, with all thy strivings 

for his welfare, 
Expect disappointment, and look for pain : for he is of 

an evil stock, and will grieve thee. 



•235 



0! Wahxmt 



<& fcotee man in a crowded street winneth his way with 

gentleness, 
Nor rudely pusheth aside the stranger that standeth in 

his path ; 
He knoweth that hlind hurry will hut hinder, stirring up 

contention against him, 
Yet holdetli he steadily right on, with his face to the 

scope of his pursuit: 
Even so, in the congress of opinions, the hustling high 

way of intelligence, 
Each man should ask of his neighbour, and yield to 

him again, concession. 
Terms ill- defined, and forms misunderstood, and cus- 
toms, where their reasons are unknown, 
Have stirred up many zealous souls to fight against 

imaginary giants ; 
But wisdom will hear the matter out, and often, by 

keenness of perception, 



236 ®i ftokxwm. 

Will find in strange disguise the precious truth he 

seeketh ; 
So he leaveth unto prejudice or taste the garb and the 

manner of her presence, 
Content to see so nigh the mistress of his love. 
There is no similitude in nature that owneth not also to 

a difference. 
Yea, no two berries are alike, though twins upon one 

stem ; 
No drop in the ocean, no pebble on the beach, no leaf m 

the forest, hath its counterpart, 
No mind in its dwelling of mortality, no spirit in the 

world unseen : 
And therefore, since capacity and essence differ alike 

with accident, 
None but a bigot partizan will hope for impossible 

unity. 
Wilt thou ensue peace, nor buffet with the waters of 

contention, 
Wilt thou be counted wise and gain the love of men, 
Let unobtruded error escape the frown of censure, 
Nor lift the glass of truth alway before thy fellows : 
1 say not, compromise the right, I would not have thee 

countenance the wrong, 
But hear with charitable heart the reasons of an honest 

judgment ; 
For thou also hast erred, and knowest not when thou art 

most right, 
Nor whether to-morrow's wisdom may not prove thee 

simple to-day : 
Perchance thou art chiding in another what once thou 

wast thyself; 



#f SMerante. 237 

Perchance thou sharply reprovest what thou wilt he 
hereafter. 

A man that can render a reason, is a man worth)* of an 
answer ; 

But he that argueth for victory, deserveth not the ten- 
derness of Truth. 

SHhiles a man liveth he may mend : count not thy bro- 

ther reprobate ; 
When he is dead his chance is gone : remember not his 

faults in bitterness. 
A man, till he dieth, is immortal in thy sight ; and then 

he is as nothing ; 
Make not the living thy foe, nor take weak vengeance of 

the dead: 
For life is as a game of chess, where least causeth 

greatest, 
And an ill move bringeth loss, and a pawn may ensure 

victory. 
Dost thou suspect? seek out certainty: for now. by 

seK-inflicted pain, 
Or ill-directed wrath, thou wrongest thyself or thy 

neighbour ; 
Suspicion is an early lesson, taught in the school of ex- 
perience, 
Neither shalt thou easily unlearn it, though charity ply 

thee with her preaching ; 
Yet look thou well for reasons, or ever mistrust hatb 

marred thee, 
Or fear curdled thy blood, or jealousy goaded thee to 

madness ; 



238 <©f ftohxiam. 

For a look, or a word, or an act, may be taken well or 

ill 
As construed by tbe latitude of love, or the closeness of 

cold suspicion. 

Uetter is the wrong with sincerity, rather than the right 
with falsehood : 

And a prudent man will not lay siege to the strong hold 
of ignorant bigotry. 

To unsettle a weak mind were an easy inglorious 
triumph, 

And a strong cause taketh little count of the worthless 
suffrage of a fool : 

Lightly he held to the wrong, loosely will he cling to 
the right ; 

Weakness is the essence of his mind, and the reed can- 
not yield an acorn. 

Dogged obstinacy is oftentimes the buttress that prop- 
peth an unstable spirit. 

But a candid man blusheth not to own, he is wiser to- 
day than yesterday. 

A man of a little wisdom is a sage among fools ; 

But himself is chief among the fools, if he look for ad- 
miration from them. 

A heresy is an evil thing, for its shame is its pride : 

Its necessary difference of error is the character it most 
esteem eth : 

Give a man all things short of liberty, thou shalt have 
no thanks, 

And little wilt thou speed with thine opponent, by 
proving points he will concede. 



The tost sand darkeneth the waves ; and clear had been 

the pages of truth, 
Had not the glosses of men obscured the simplicity of 

faith. 
In all things consider thine own ignorance, and gladly 

take occasion to be taught ; 
But suffer not excess of liberality to neutralize thy men 

tal independence. 
The faults and follies of most men make their deaths a 

gain: 
But thou also art a man, full of faults and follies : 
Therefore sorrow for the dead, or none shall weep for 

thee, 
For the measure of charity thou dealest, shall be poured 

into thine own bosom. 
That which vexeth thee now, provoking thee to hate thy 

brother, 
Bear with it ; the annoyance passeth, and may not re- 
turn for ever : 
The same combinations and results which aggravate thy 

soul to-day, 
May not meet again for centuries in the kaleidoscope of 

circumstance ; 
For men and matters change, new elements mixing in 

continually, 
And, as with chemical magic, the sour is transmuted 

into sweetness : 
A little explained, a little endured, a little passed over as 

a foible, 
And lo, the jagged atoms fit like smooth mosaic. 
Thou canst not shape another's mind to suit thine own 
body, 



240 ®f ftakrvattt. 

Think not, then, to he furnishing his hrain with thy 

special notions. 
Charity walketh with a high step, and stumhleth not at 

a trine : 
Charity hath keen eyes, hut the lashes half conceal 

them : 
Charity is praised of all, and fear not thou that praise, 
God will not love thee less, he cause men love thee 

more. 



241 



if j&jrato. 



$ jfoftf, I will seek out Sorrow, and minister the balm 
of pity, 

So I sought her in the house of mourning; hut peace 
followed in her train. 

Then I marked her brooding silently in the gloomy 
cavern of Regret ; 

But a sunbeam of heavenly hope gleamed on her folded 
wing. 

So I turned to the cabin of the poor, where famine dwelt 
with disease : 

But the bed of the sick was smoothed, and the plough- 
man whistled at his labour. 

So I stopt, and mused within myself, to remember where 
sorrow dwelt, 

For I sought to see her alone, uncomforted, uncom- 
panioned. 

I went to the prison, but penitence was there, and pro- 
mise of better times ; 

R 



242 ®i gurruk 

1 listened at the madman's cell, but it echoed with de- 
luded laughter. 

Then I Curned me to the rich and noble ; I noted the 
sons of fashion : 

A smile was on the languid cheek, that had no commerce 
with the heart ; 

Unhallowed thoughts, like fires, gleamed from the win- 
dow of the eye ; 

And sorrow lived with those whose pleasures add unto 
their sins. 

fj^is infancy wanted not guilt; his life was continued 
evil: 

He drew in pride with his mother's milk, and a father's 
lips taught him cursing. 

I marked him as the wayward boy ; I traced the disso- 
lute youth ; 

I saw him betray the innocent, and sacrifice affection to 
his lust; 

I saw him the companion of knaves, and a squanderer of 
ill-got gain : 

I heard him curse his own misery, while he hugged the 
chains that galled him : 

For well had experience declared the bitterness of guilty 
pleasure, 

But habit, with its iron net, involved him in its folds. 

Behind him loured the thunder-storm, which the cal- 
dron of his wickedness had brewed ; 

Before him was the smooth steep cliff, whose base is ruin 
and despair. 

So he rushed madly on, and tried to forget his being : 
The noisy revel and the low debauch, and fierce excite- 
ment of play, 



#f Sonata. 243 

With dreary interchange of palling pleasures, filled the 

dull round of existence : 
Memory was to him as a foe, so he flew for false solace 

to the wine-cup, 
And stunned his enemy at even ; but she rent him as a 

giant in the morning. 

3E turned aside to weep ; I lost him a little while : 

I looked, and years had past; he was hoar with the 
winter of his age. 

And what was now his hope ? where was the balm for 
his sadness? 

The memory of the past was guilt : the feeling of the 
present, remorse. 

Then he set his affections on gold, he worshipped the 
shrine of Mammon, 

And to lay richer gifts before his idol, he starved his own 
bowels ; 

So, the youth spent in profligacy ended in the gripings 
of want : 

The miser grudged himself husks to take deeper "ven- 
geance of the prodigal. 

And I said, this is Sorrow, but pity cannot reach it ; 

This is to be wretched indeed, to be guilty without re- 
pentance. 



R 2 



244 



JHg soul was sickened within me, so I sought the dwell- 
ing place of Joy : 

And I met it not in laughter ; I found it not in wealth 
or power ; 

But I saw it in the pleasant home, where religion smiled 
upon content, 

And the satisfied ambition of the heart rejoiced in the 
favour of its God. 

Behold the happy man, his face is rayed with pleasure, 

His thoughts are of calm delight, and none can know 
his blessedness : 

I have watched him from his infancy, and seen him in 
the grasp of death, 

Yet, never have I noted on his brow the cloud of de- 
sponding sorrow. 

He hath knelt beside his cradle ; his mother's hymn 
lulled him to sleep : 

In childhood he hath loved holiness, and drank from that 
fountain-head of peace. 



245 



Wisdom took him for her scholar, guiding his steps in 

purity : 
He lived unpolluted hy the world ; and his young heart 

hated sin. 
But he owned not the spurious religion engendered of 

faction and moroseness, 
Neither were the sproutings of his soul seared by the 

brand of superstition. 
His love is pure and single, sincere, and knoweth not 

change ; 
For his manhood hath been blest with the pleasant choice 

of his youth : 
Behold his one beloved, she leaneth on his arm, 
And he looketh on the years that are past, to review the 

dawn of her affection. 
Memory is sweet unto him, as a perfect landscape to the 

sight ; 
Each object is lovely in itself, but the whole is the har- 
mony of nature. 
Behold his little ones around him, they bask in the 

warmth of his smile ; 
And infant innocence and joy lighten their happy faces ; 
He is holy, and they honour him : he is loving, and they 

love him : 
He is consistent, and they esteem him : he is firm, and 

they fear him. 
His friends are the excellent among men ; and the bands 

of their friendship are strong : 
His house is the palace of peace : for the Prince of Peace 

is there. 
As the wearied man to Ins couch, as the thoughtful man 

to his musings, 



246 m $05. 

Even so, from the bustle of life, lie goeth to his well- 
ordered home. 
And though he often sin, he returneth with weeping 



For he feeleth the mercies of forgiveness, and gloweth 
with warmer gratitude. 

Chus did he walk in happiness, and sorrow was a stran- 
ger to his soul ; 

The light of affection sunned his heart, the tear of the 
grateful bedewed his feet, 

He put his hand with constancy to good, and angels 
knew him as a brother, 

And the busy satellites of evil trembled as at God's 
ally: 

He used his wealth as a wise steward, making him friends 
for futurity : 

He bent his learning to religion, and religion was with 
him at the last : 

For I saw him after many days, when the time of his re- 
lease was come, 

And I longed for a congregated world, to behold that 
dying saint. 

As the aloe is green and well-liking, till the last best 
summer of its age, 

And then hangeth out its golden bells, to mingle glory 
with corruption ; 

As a meteor travelleth in splendour, but bursteth in 
dazzling light ; 

Such was the end of the righteous : his death was the 
sun at its setting. 



U7 



Hook on this picture of joy, and remember that portrait 

of sorrow : 
Behold the beauty of holiness, behold the deformity of 

sin! 
How long, ye sons of men, will ye scorn the words of 

wisdom ? 
How long will ye hunt for happiness in the caverns that 

breed despair ? 
Will ye comfort yourselves in misery, by denying the 

existence of delight, 
And from experience in woe, will ye reason that none 

are happy ? 
Joy is not in your path, for it loveth not that bleak 

broad road, 
But its flowers are hung upon the hedges that line a 

narrower way; 
And there the faint travellers of earth may wander and 

gather for themselves, 
To soothe their wounded hearts with balm from the 

amaranths of heaven. 



©EO AOEA. 



(second sekies.) 



ftttratotorg* 



C0ttt£ again and greet me as a Mend, fellow-pilgrim 

upon life's highway, 
Leave awhile the hot and dusty road, to loiter in the 

greenwood of Reflection. 
Come unto my cool dim grotto, that is watered by the 

rivulet of truth, 
And over whose time-stained rock climb the fairy flowers 

of content ; 
Here, upon this mossy bank of leisure fling thy load of 

cares, 
Taste my simple store, and rest one soothing hour. 



28ehold, I would count thee for a brother, and commune 

with thy charitable soul ; 
Though wrapt within the mantle of a prophet, I stand 

mine own weak scholar. 
Heed no disciple for a teacher, if knowledge be not 

found upon his tongue ; 
For vanity and folly were the lessons these lips untaught 

could give : 
The precious staple of my merchandise cometh from a 

better country, 
The harvest of my reaping sprang of foreign seed : 
And this poor pensioner of Mercy, should he boast of 

merit ? 
The grafted stock, — should that be proud of apples not 

its own ? 
Into the bubbling brook I dip my hermit shell; 
Man receiveth as a cup, but Wisdom is the river. 

Moreover, for this fillagree of fancy, this Oriental garnish 

of similitude, 
Alas, the world is old, — and all things old within it : 
I walk a trodden path, I love the good old ways ; 
Prophets, and priests, and kings have tuned the harp I 

faintly touch. 
Truth, in a garment of the past, is my choice and simple 

theme ; 
No truth is new to-day : and the mantle was another's. 

J&till, there is an insect swarm, the buzzing cloud of 
imagery, 

Mote-like steaming on my sight, and thronging my re- 
luctant mind; 



250 QvAxabvdar%. 

The memories of studious culling, and multiplied ana- 
logies of nature, 

Fresh feelings unrepressed, welling from the heart spon- 
taneous, 

Facts,, and comparisons, and meditative atoms, gathered 
on the heap of combination, 

Mingle in the fashion of my speech with gossamer 
dreams of Reverie. 

I need not beat the underwood for game ; my pheasants 
flock upon the lawn, 

And gamboling hares disport fearless in my dewy field ; 

I roam no heath -empurpled hills, wearily watching for a 
covey, 

But thoughts fly swift to my decoy, eager to be caught ; 

I sit no quiet angler, lingering patiently for sport, 

But spread my nets for a draught, and take the glittering 
shoal ; 

I chase no solitary stag, tracking it with breathless toil, 

But hunt with Aureng-zebe, and spear surrounded thou- 
sands. 

OThat then, — count ye this a boast? — sweet charity, 
think it other, 

For the dog-fish and poisonous ray are captured in the 
mullet-haul : 

The crane and the kite are of my thoughts, alike with 
the partridge and the quail, 

And unclean meats as of the clean hang upon my Seric 
shambles. 

— How saith he? shall a man deceive, dressing up his 
jackal as a lion? 

Or colour in staid hues of fact the changing vest of false- 
hood?— 



fntabmtorg. 251 

Brother, unwittingly lie may ; doubtless, unwillingly he 
doth : 

For men are full of fault, and how should he be righte- 
ous? 

Carefully my garden hath been weeded, yet shall it be 
foul with thistle ; 

My grapery is diligently thinned, and yet many berries 
will be sour : 

From my nets have I flung the bad away, to my small 
skill and caution ; 

Yet may some slimy snake have counted for an eel. 

The rudder of Man's best hope cannot always steer him- 
self from error ; 

The arrow of Man's straightest aim flieth short of truth. 

Thus, the confession of sincerity visit not as if it were 
presumption : 

Nor own me for a leader, where thy reason is not guide. 



252 



Cake courage, prisoner of time, for there be many com- 
forts, 

Cease thy labour in the pit, and bask awhile with truants 
in the sun ; 

Be cheerful, man of care, for great is the multitude of 
chances, 

Burst thy fetters of anxiety, and walk among the citizens 
of ease : 

Wherefore dost thou doubt ? if present good is round 
thee, 

It may be well to look for change, but to trust in a con- 
tinuance is better; 

Whilst, at the crisis of adversity, to hope for some amends 
were wisdom, 

And cheerfully to bear thy cross in patient strength is 
duty. 

I speak of common troubles, and the petty plagues of 
life, 



m «(f*erfetae«L 253 

The phantom-spies of Unbelief, that lurk about his out- 
posts : 

Sharp suspicion, dull distrust, and sullen stern morose- 
ness 

Are captains in that locust swarm to lead the cloudy 
host. 

Thou hast need of fortitude and faith, for the adver- 
saries come on thickly, 

And he that fled hath added wings to his pursuing foes ; 

Fight them, and the cravens flee ; thy boldness is their 
panic ; 

Fear them, and thy treacherous heart hath lent the ranks 
a legion : 

Among their shouts of victory resoundeth the wail of 
Heraclitus, 

While Democrite, confident and cheerful, hath plucked 
up the standard of their camp. 

$lot few nor light are the burdens of life ; then load it 

not with heaviness of spirit ; 
Sicknesses, and penury, and travail, — there be real ills 

enow: 
We are wandering benighted, with a waning moon; 

plunge not rashly into jungles, 
Where cold and poisonous damps will quench the torch 

of hope : 
The tide is strong against us; good oarsmen, pull or 

perish, — 
If your arms be slack for fear, ye shall not stem the 

torrent. 
A wise traveller goeth on cheerily, through fair weather 

or foul ; 



254 #f (K^mfttos. 

He knoweth that his journey must be sped, so he carrieth 

his sunshine with him. 
Calamities come not as a curse, — nor prosperity for 

other than a trial ; 
Struggle, — thou art better for the strife, and the very 

energy shall hearten thee. 
Good is taught in a Spartan school, — hard lessons and a 

rough discipline ; 
But evil cometh idly of itself, in the luxury of Capuan 

holidays : 
And Wisdom will go bravely forth to meet the chastening 

scourge, 
Enduring with a thankful heart that punishment of Love 

Chere be three chief rivers of despondency ; sin, sorrow, 

fear; 
Sin is the deepest, sorrow hath its shallows, and fear is a 

noisy rapid : 
But even to the darkest holes in guilt's profoundest 

river 
Hope can pierce with quickening ray, and all those 

depths are lightened. 
So long as there is mercy in a God, hope is the privilege 

of creatures, 
And so soon as there is penitence in creatures, that hope 

is exalted into duty. 
Verily, consider this for courage ; that the fearful and 

the unbelieving 
Are classed with idolators and liars, because they trusted 

not in God: 
For it is none other than selfish sin, a hard and proud 

ingratitude, 



<Sf %jerfolttts*. 255 

Where seeming repentance is herald of despair, instead 
of hope's forerunner. 

Moreover, in thy day of grief,— for friends, or fame, or 

.fortune, 
Well I wot the heart shall ache, and mind be numbed 

in torpor ; 
Let nature weep ; leave her alone ; the freshet of her 

sorrow must run off; 
And sooner will the lake be clear, relieved of turbid 

floodings. 
Yet see that her license hath a limit ; with the novelty 

her agony is over ; 
Hasten in that earliest calm, to tie her in the leash with 

Eeason. 
For regrets are an enervating folly, and the season for 

energy is come, 
Yea rather, that the future may repair with diligence the 

ruins of the past. 

&gain, for empty fears, the harassings of possible cala- 
mity; 

Pray, and thou shalt prosper ; trust in God, and tread 
them down. 

Yield to the phantasy, — thou sinnest ; resist it, He will 
aid thee : 

Out of Him there is no help, nor any sober courage. 

Feeble is the comfort of the faithless, a man without a 
God; 

Who dare counsel such an one to fling away his 
fears ? 



256 ®f (Kfcm&te**. 

Fear is the heritage of him, a portion wise and merci- 
ful, 

To drive the tremhler into safety, if haply he may turn 
and flee : 

Nevertheless, let him reckon an he will, that all he 
counteth casual 

May as well he for him as against him ; dice have many 
sides : 

And, even as in ailments of the hody, diseases follow 
closely upon dreads, 

So, with infirmities of mind, is fear the pallid harbinger 
of failure. 

It were wise to walk undaunted even in an accidental 
chaos, 

For the brave man is at peace, and free to get the mas- 
tery of circumstance. 

The stoutest armour of defence is that which is worn 
within the bosom, 

And the weapon that no enemy can parry, is a bold and 
cheerful spirit ; 

Catapults in old war worked like Titans, crushing foes 
with rocks ; 

So doth a strong- springed heart throw back every load 
on its assailants. 

$ went heavily for cares, and fell into the trance of 

sorrow ; 
And behold, a vision in my trance, and my ministering 

angel brought it. 
There stood a mountain huge and steep, the awful 

Eock of Ages ; 



The sun upon its summit, and storms midway, and deep 

ravines at foot. 
And, as I looked, a dense black cloud, suddenly drop 

ping from the thunder, 
Filled, like a cataract with yeasty foam, a narrow 

smiling valley : 
Close and hard that vaporous mass seemed to press the 

ground, 
And lamentable sounds came up, as of some that were 

smothering beneath. 
Then, as I walked upon the mountain, clear in summer's 

noon, 
For charity I called aloud, Ho ! climb up hither to the 

sunshine. 
And even like a stream of light my voice had pierced the 

mist ; 
I saw below two families of men, and knew their names 

of old: 
Courage, struggling through the darkness, stout of heart 

and gladsome, 
Ean up the shining ladder which the voice of Hope had 

made ; 
And tripping lightly by his side, a sweet-eyed helpmate 

with him, 
I looked upon her face to welcome pleasant Cheerful 

ness ; 
And a babe was cradled in her bosom, a laughing little 

prattler, 
The child of Cheerfulness and Courage, — could his name 

be other than Success ? 
So, from his happy wife, when they both stood beside 

me on the mountain, 



258 ®i €\mh\uzm. 

The fond father took that babe, and set him on his 
shoulder in the sunshine. 

STgahi I peered into the valley, or I heard a gasping 

moan, 
A desolate weak cry, as muffled in the vapours. 
So down that crystal shaft into the poisonous mine 
I sped for charity to seek and save, — and those I sought 

fled from me, 
At length, I spied, far distant, a trembling withered 

dwarf 
Who crouched beneath the cloak of a tall and spectral 

mourner : 
Then I knew Cowardice and Gloom, and followed them 

on in darkness, 
Guided by their rustling robes and moans and muffled 

cries, 
Until in a suffocating pit the wretched pair had 

perished, — 
And lo, their whitening bones were shaping out an epi- 
taph of Failure. 

Jbo I saw that despondency was death, and flung my 

burdens from me, 
And, lightened by that effort, I was raised above the 

world ; 
Yea, in the strangeness of my vision, I seemed to soar 

on wings, 
And the names they called my wings were Cheerfulness 

and Wisdom. 



259 



Ht, poor almsman of to-day, whom none can assure 

of a to-morrow, 
Tell out, with honest heart, the price thou settest upon 

yesterday. 
Is it then a writing in the dust, traced hy the finger of 

idleness, 
Which Industry, clean housewife, can wipe away for 

ever? 
Is it as a furrow on the sand, fashioned by the toying 

waves, 
Quickly to be trampled then again by the feet of the 

returning tide ? 
Is it as the pale blue smoke, rising from a peasant's 

hovel, 
That melted into limpid air, before it topped the larches ? 
Is it but a vision, unstable and unreal, which wise men 

soon forget ? 

s 2 



260 #f festairag, 

Is it as the stranger of a night, — gone, we heed not 

whither ? 
Alas ! thou foolish heart, whose thoughts are but as 

these, 
Alas ! deluded soul, that hopeth thus of Yesterday. 

JFor, behold, — those temples of Ellora, the Brahmin's 

rock-built shrine, 
Behold — yon granite cliff, which the North Sea buffeteth 

in vain, — 
That stout old forest fir, — these waking verities of 

life, 
This guest abiding ever, not strange, nor a servant, but 

a son, — 
Such, man, are vanity and dreams, transient as a 

rainbow on the cloud, 
Weighed against that solid fact, thine ill-remembered 

Yesterday. 

Come, let me show thee an ensample, where Nature 

shall instruct us ; 
Luxuriantly the arguments for truth spring native in her 

gardens. 
Seek we yonder woodman of the plain ; he is measuring 

his axe to the elm, 
And anon the sturdy strokes ring upon the wintry 

air: 
Eagerly the village school-boys cluster on the tightened 

rope, 
Shouting, and bending to the pull, or lifted from the 

ground elastic ; 



#f gjesterbrag. 261 

The huge tree boweth like Sisera, boweth to its foes with 
faintness, — 

Its sinews crack, — deep groans declare the reeling an- 
guish of Goliath, 

The wedge is driven home,— and the saw is at its heart, 
— and lo, with solemn slowness, 

The shuddering monarch riseth from his throne, — top- 
pled with a crash, — and is fallen ! 

flow, shall the mangled stump teach proud man a 
lesson : 

Now, can we from that elm tree's sap distil the wine of 
Truth. 

Heed ye those hundred rings, concentric from the core, 

Eddying in various waves to the red-bark's shore-like 
rim? 

These be the gatherings of yesterdays, present all to- 
day, 

This is the tree's judgment, self-history that cannot be 
gainsaid : 

Seven years agone there was a drough't, — and the seventh 
ring is narrowed ; 

The fifth from hence was half a deluge, — the fifth is cel- 
lular and broad. 

Thus, Man, thou art a result, the growth of many yes- 
terdays, 

That stamp thy secret soul with marks of weal or woe : 

Thou art an almanack of self, the living record of thy 
deeds ; 

Spirit hath its scars as well as body, sore and aching in 
their season : 

Here is a knot, — it was a crime ; there is a canker, — 
selfishness ; 



262 ®i f ^terirng. 

Lo, here, the heart-wood rotten, lo, there, perchance, 

the sap-wood sound. 
Nature teacheth*not in vain; thy works are in thee, of 

thee; 
Some present evil hent hath grown of older errors : 
x\nd what if thou he walking now uprightly? Salve not 

thy wounds with poison, 
As if a petty goodness of to-day hath "blotted out the sin 

of yesterday : 
It is well, thou hast life and light; and the Hewer 

showeth mercy, 
Dressing the root, pruning the branch, and looking for 

thy tardy fruits ; 
But, even here as thou standest, cheerful belike and 

careless, 
The stains of ancient evil are upon thee, the record of 

thy wrong is in thee : 
For, a curse of many yesterdays is thine, many yester- 
days of sin, 
That, haply little heeded now, shall blast thy many mor. 

rows. 

J*)hall then a man reck nothing, but hurl mad defiance 
at his Judge, 

Knowing that less than an Omnipotent cannot make the 
has been, not been ? 

He ought, — so Satan spake ; he must, — so Atheism 
urgeth ; 

He may, — it was the libertine's thought ; he doth, — the 
bad world said it. 

But thou of humbler heart, thou student wiser for sim- 
plicity, 



#f gMfcrirag. 263 

While Nature warneth thee betimes, heed the loving 
counsel of Eeligion. 

True, this change is good, and penitence most precious ; 

But trust not thou thy change, nor rest upon repent- 
ance ; 

For all we are corrupted at the core, smooth as smtface 
seemeth ; 

What health can bloom in a beautiful skin, when rotten- 
ness hath fed upon the bones ? 

And guilt is parcel of us all ; not thou, sweet nursling of 
affection, 

Art spotless, though so passing fair,— nor thou, mild 
patriarch of virtue. 

3Sehold then the better Tree of Life, free unto us all for 

grafting, 
Cut thee from the hollow tree of self, to be budded on a 

richer Vine. 
Be desperate, man, as of evil, so of good ; tear that 

tunic from thee ; 
The past can never be retrieved, be the present what it 

may. 
Vain is the penance and the scourge, vain the fast and 

vigil: 
The fencer's cautious skill to-day, can this erase his 

scars ? 
It is Man's to famish as a faquir, it is Man's to die a 

devotee, 
Light is the torture and the toil, balanced with the wages 

of Eternity : 
But, it is God's to yearn in love, on the humblest, the 

poorest, and the worst, 



264 #f gwtertag. 

For He giveth freely, as a king, asking only thanks for 

mercy. 
Look upon this noble-hearted Substitute ; seeing thy 

woes, He pitied thee, 
Bowed beneath the mountain of thy sin, and perished — 

but for Godhead ; 
There stood the Atlas in his power, and Prometheus in 

his loye is there, 
Emptying on wretched men the blessings earned from 

heaven : 
Put them not away, hide them in thy heart, poor and 

penitent receiver, 
Be gratitude thy counsellor to good, and wholesome fear 

unto obedience; 
Bemember, the pruning-knife is keen, cutting cankers 

even from the vine ; 
Remember, twelve were chosen, and one among them 

liveth — in perdition. 

f^ea, — for standing unatoned, the soul is a bison on the 

prairie, 
Hunted by those trooping wolves, the many sinful yester- 
days : 
And it speedeth a terrified Deucalion, flinging back the 

pebble in his flight, 
The pebble that must add one more to those pursuing 

ghosts. 
man, there is a storm behind should drive thy bark to 

haven ; 
The foe, the foe is on thy track, patient, certain, and 

avenging ; 
Day by day, solemnly, and silently, folio we th the fearful 

past, — 



His step is lame, but sure; for he catcheth the present 
in eternity : 

And how to escape that foe, the present-past in future ? 

How to avert that fate, living consequence of causes 
unexistent ? — 

Boldly we must overleap his birth, and date above his 
memories, 

Grafted on the living Tree, that was before a yester- 
day: 

No refuge of a younger birth than one that saw creation 

Can hide the child of time from still condemning yester- 
day: 

There, is the Sanctuary-city, mocking at the wrath of 
thine Avenger, 

Close at hand, with the wicket on the latch : haste for 
thy life, poor hunted one ! 

The gladiator, Guilt, fighteth as of old, armed with net 
and dagger ; 

Snaring in the mesh of yesterdays, stabbing with the 
poignard of to-day ; 

Fly, thy sword is broken at the hilt ; fly, thy .shield is 
shivered ; 

Leap the barriers, and baffle him : the arena of the past 
is his. 

The bounds of Guilt are the cycles of Time : thou must 
be safe within Eternity ; 

The arms of God alone shall rescue thee from Yester- 
day. 



S66 



§f f 0-taa. 



Jin&i, is the constant syllable ticking from the clock of 
time, 

Now, is the watchword of the wise, Now, is on the 
banner of the prudent. 

Cherish thy to-day and prize it well, or ever it be 
gulphed into the past ; 

Husband it, for who can promise, if it shall have a mor- 
row? 

Behold, thou art, — it is enough ; that present care be 
thine ; 

Leave thou the past to thy Eedeemer, entrust the future 
to thy Friend ; 

But for to-day, child of man, tend thou charily the 
minutes, 

The harvest of thy yesterday, the seed-corn of thy mor- 
row. 

Hast night died its day; and the deeds thereof were 
judged : 



267 



Thou didst lay thee down as in a shroud, in darkness 
and death-like slumher : 

But at the trumpet of this morn, waking the world to 
resurrection, 

Thou didst arise, like others, to live a new day's life : 

Fear, lest folly give thee cause to mourn its passing pre- 
sence, 

Fear, that to-morrow's sigh he not, would God it had not 
dawned ! 

jfor, To-day the lists are set, and thou must hear thee 

hravely, 
Tilting for honour, duty, life, or death without reproach : 
To-day, is the trial of thy fortitude, dauntless Mandan 

chief; 
To-day, is thy watch, sentinel ; to-day, thy reprieve, 

captive : 
What more ? to-day is the golden chance wherewith to 

snatch fruition, — 
Be glad, grateful, temperate : there are asps among the 

figs. 
For the potter's clay is in thy hands, — to mould it or to 

mar it at thy will. 
Or idly to leave it in the sun, an uncouth lump to 

-harden. 

$ bright presence of To-day, let me wrestle with thee, 

gracious angel, 
I will not let thee go, except thou bless me ; bless me, 

then, To-day : 
sweet garden of To-day, let me gather of thee, precious 

Eden; 



268 



I have stolen bitter knowledge, give me fruits of life To- 
day: 

true temple of To-day, let me worship in thee, glo- 

rious Zion : 

1 find none other place nor time, than where I am To- 

day: 

living rescue of To-day, let me run into thee, ark of 

refuge : 

1 see none other hope nor chance, but standeth in To- 

day: 

rich banquet of To-day, let me feast upon thee, saving 

manna; 

1 have none other food nor store, but daily bread To- 

day! 

38ehold, thou art pilot of the ship, and owner of that 

freighted galleon, 
Competent, with all thy weakness, to steer into safety or 

be lost : 
Compass and chart are in thy hand : roadstead and rocks 

thou knowest ; 
Thou art warned of reefs and shallows ; thou beholdest 

the harbour and its lights. 
What ? shall thy wantonness or sloth drive the gallant 

vessel on the breakers ? 
What ? shall the helmsman's hand wear upon the black 

lee shore? 
Vain is that excuse; thou canst escape: thy mind is re- 
sponsible for wrong : 
Vain that murmur ; thou mayst live : thy soul is debtor 

for the right. 
To day, in the voyage of thy life down the dark tide of 

time, 



#f fo-lmg. 269 

Stand boldly to thy tiller, guide thee by the pole-star, 

and be safe ; 
To-day, passing near the sunken rocks, the quicksands 

and whirlpools of probation, 
Leave awhile the rudder to swing round, give the wind 

its heading, and be wrecked. 

Che crisis of man's destiny is Now, a still recurring 

danger ; 
Who can tell the trials and temptations coming with the 

coming hour ? 
Thou standest a target-like Sebastian, and the arrows 

whistle near thee ; 
Who knoweth when he may be hit? for great is the 

company of archers. 
Each breath is burdened with a bidding, and every 

minute hath its mission ; 
For spirits, good and bad, cluster on the thickly-peopled 

air : 
Sin may blast thee, grace may bless thee, good or ill this 

hour : 
Chance, and change, and doubt, and fear, are parasites 

of all. 
A man's life is a tower, with a- staircase of many steps, 
That, as he toileth upward, crumble successively behind 

him : 
No going back ; the past is an abyss ; no stopping, for 

the present perisheth ; 
But ever hasting on, precarious on the foothold of To- 
day; 
Our cares are all To-day; our joys are all To-day ; 
And in one little word, our life, what is it, but — To-day ? 



270 



if % ff-wrato. 



Cficre is a floating island forward, on the stream of 

time, 
Buoyant with fermenting air, and borne along the 

rapids ; 
And on that island is a siren, singing sweetly as she 



Her eyes are bright with invitation, and allurement 

lurketh in her cheeks ; 
Many lovers, vainly pursuing, follow her beckoning 

finger, 
Many lovers seek her still, even to the cataract of death. 
To-morrow is that island, a vain and foolish heritage, 
And, laughing with seductive lips, Delusion hideth 

there : 
Often, the precious present is wasted in visions of the 

future, 
And coy To-morrow cometh not with prophecies fulfilled. 



#f %0-vtmttab. 271 

Chere is a fairy skiff, plying on the sea of life, 

And charitably toiling still to save the shipwrecked 

crews ; 
Within, kindly patient, sitteth a gentle mariner, 
Piloting, through surf and strait, the fragile barks of 

men : 
How cheering is her voice, how skilfully she guideth, 
How nobly leading onward yet, defying even death ! 
To-morrow is that skiff, a wise and welcome rescue, 
And, full of gladdening words and looks, that mariner is 

Hope : 
Often, the painful present is comforted by flattering the 

future, 
And kind To-morrow beareth half the burdens of To-day. 

Co-morrow, whispereth weakness; and To-morrow 

findeth him the weaker : 
To-morrow, promiseth conscience ; and behold, no to-day 

for a fulfilment. 
name of happy omen unto youth, bitter word of 

terror to the dotard, 
Goal of folly's lazy wish, and sorrow's ever-coming 

friend; 
Fraud's loophole, — caution's hint, — and trap to catch the 

honest, — 
Thou wealth to many poor, disgrace to many noble, 
Thou hope and fear, thou weal and woe, thou remedy, 

thou ruin, 
How thickly swarms of thought are clustering round To- 
morrow ! 
The hive of memory increaseth, to every day its cell ; 
There is the labour stored, the honey or corruption ; 



£72 #f fao-mottaio. 

Each morn the bees fly forth, to fill the growing comb, 
And levy golden tribute of the uncomplaining flowers : 
To-morrow is their care, they toil for rest to-morrow ; 
But man deferreth duty's task, and loveth ease to-day. 

%o morrow is that lamp upon the marsh, which a travel- 
ler never reacheth ; 

To morrow, the rainbow's cup, coveted prize of igno- 
rance ; 

To-morrow, the shifting anchorage, dangerous trust of 
mariners ; 

To-morrow, the wrecker's beacon, wily snare of the de- 
stroyer. 

Reconcile convictions with delay, and To-morrow is a fatal 
lie; 

Frighten resolutions into action, To-morrow is a whole 
some truth ; 

I must, for I fear To-morrow, — this is the Cassava's 
food; 

Why should I? let me trust To-morrow, — this is the 
Cassava's poison. 

Ho, it is the even of To-day, — a day so lately a To- 
morrow ; 

Where are those high resolves, those hopes of yester- 
night? 

faint fond heart, still shall thy whisper be, To-mor 
row, 

And must the growing avalanche of sin roll down that 
easy slope ? 

Alas ! it is ponderous, and moving on in might, that a 
Sisyphus may not stop it ; 



®i &o-moxxo$B. 273 

But haste thee with the lever of a prayer, and stem its 
strength To-day : 

For its race may speedily be run, and this poor hut, thy- 
self, 

Be whelmed in death and suffocating guilt, that dreary 
Alpine snow-wreath. 

•pensioner of life, be wise, and heed a brother's counsel ; 

I also am a beadsman, with scrip and staff as thou : 

Wouldest thou be bold against the past, and all its evil 
memories, 

Wouldest thou be safe amid the present, its dangers and 
temptations, 

Wouldest thou be hopeful of the future, vague though it 
be and endless ? 

Haste thee, repent, believe, obey ! thou standest in the 
courage of a legion. 

Commend the Past to God, with all its irrevocable 
harm, 

Humbly, but in cheerful trust, and banish vain re- 
grets; 

Come to Him, continually come, casting all the Present 
at His feet, 

Boldly, but in prayerful love, and fling off selfish cares ; 

Commit the Future to His will, the viewless fated 
future; 

Zealously go forward with integrity, and God will bless 
thy faith. 

For that, feeble as thou art, there is with thee a mighty 
Conqueror, 

Thy Friend, the same for ever, yesterday, to-day, and to- 
morrow ; 

T 



274 ®f fao-maxxofo. 

That Friend, changeless as eternity, Himself shall make 
thee friends 

Of those thy foes transformed, yesterday, to-day, and to- 
morrow. 



!<0 



©f ^ntjjorsM?- 



Great is the dignity of Authorship : 1 magnify mine 

office : 
Albeit in much feebleness I hold it thus unworthily. 
For it is to he one of a noble hand, the welfare of the 

world. 
Whose haunt is on the lips of men. whose dwelling in 

?ir hearts. 
Who are precious in the retrospect of Memory, and walk 

among the visions of Hope, 
Who commune with the good for everlasting, and call 

the wisest, brother, 
Whose voice hath burst the Silence, and whose light is 

flung upon the Darkness. 
— Flashing jewels on a robe of black, and harmony 

bounding out of chaos, — 
Who gladden empires with their wisdom, and bless to 

the farthest generation. 
Doers of illimitable good, gainers of inestimable glory ! — 

r a 



276 <©f garf&owfcip. 

We speak but of the Magnates, we heed none humbler 

than the highest, 
We take no count of sorry scribes, nor waste one thought 

upon the groundlings ; 
Our eyes are lifted from the multitude, groping in the 

dark with candles, 
To gaze upon that firmament of praise, the constellated 

lamps of learning. 
Ever-during witnesses of Mind, undisputed evidence of 

Power, 
Goodly volumes, living stones, build up their author's 

temple : 
Though of low estate, his rank is above princes, — though 

needy, he hath worship of the rich, 
When Genius unfurleth on the winds his banner as a 

mighty leader. 
Just in purpose, and self-possessed in soul, lord of many 

talents, 
The mental Croesus goeth forth, rejoicing in his wealth ; 
Keen and clear perception gloweth on his forehead like 

a sunbeam, 
He readeth men at a glance, and mists roll away before 

him; 
The wise have set him as their captain, the foolish are 

rebuked at his presence, 
The excellent * bless him with their prayers, and the 

wicked praise him by their curses ; 
His voice, mighty in operation, stirreth up the world as 

a trumpet, 
And kings account it honour to be numbered of his 

friends. 



3&are is the worthiness of Authorship : I justify mine 
office; 

Albeit fancies weak as mine credit not the calling 

For it addeth immortality to dying facts, that are ready 
to vanish away, 

Embalming as in amber the poor insects of an hour ; 

Shedding upon stocks and stones the tender light of in- 
terest, 

And illumining dark places of the earth, with radiance 
of classic lustre. 

It hath power to make past things present, and availeth 
for the present in the future, 

Delivering thoughts, and words, and deeds, from the 
outer darkness of oblivion. 

Where are the sages and the heroes, giants of old 
time ?— 

Where are the mighty kings, that reigned before Aga- 
memnon ? — 

Alas they lie unwept, unhonoured, hidden in the mid- 
night; 

Alas, for they died unchronicled : their memorial perished 
with them. 

Where are the nobles of Nineveh, and mitred rulers of 
Babylon ? 

Where are the lords of Edom, and the royal pontiffs of 
Thebais ? 

The golden Satrap, and the Tetrarch, — the Hun, and the 
Druid, and the Celt ? 

The merchant princes of Phoenicia, and the minds that 
fashioned Elephant a? 

Alas, for the poet hath forgotten them ; and lo ! they are 
outcasts of Memory; 



278 ®f gm%n%. 

Alas, that tbey are withered leaves, sapless and fallen 

from the chaplet of fame. 
Speak, Etruria, whose hones he these, entomhed with 

costly care, — 
Tell out, Herculaneum, the titles that have sounded in 

those thy palaces, — 
Lycian Xanthus, thy citadels are mute, and the honour 

of their architects hath died; 
Copan and Palenque, dreamy ruins in the West, the forest 

hath swallowed up your sculptures ; 
Syracuse, — how silent of the past ! — Carthage, thou art 

blotted from remembrance ! 
Egypt, wondrous shores, ye are buried in the sand-hills 

of forgetfulness ! 
Alas, — for in your glorious youth Time himself was 

young, 
And none durst wrestle with that Angel, iron-sinewed 

bridegroom of Space ; 
So he flew by, strong upon the wing, nor dropped one 

failing feather, 
Wherewith some hoary scribe might register your honour 

and renown. 
Beyond the broad Atlantic, in the regions of the setting 

sun, 
Ask of the plume-crowned Incas, that ruled in old 

Peru, — 
Ask of grand Caziques, and priests of the pyramids in 

Mexico, — 
Ask of a thousand painted tribes, high nobility of 

Nature, 
Who, once, could roam their own Elysian plains, free, 

generous, and happy, 



Who, now, degraded and in exile, having sold their 

fatherland for nought, 
Sink and are extinguished in the western seas, even as 

the sun they follow, — 
Where is the record of their deeds, their prowess worthy 

of Achilles, 
Nestor's wisdom, the chivalry of Maniius, the native elo- 
quence of Cicero, 
The skill of Xenophon, the spirit of Alcihiades, the 

firmness of a Maccahaean mother, 
Brotherly love that Antigone might envy, the honour and 

the fortitude of Eegulus ? 
Alas, their glory and their praise have vanished like a 

summer cloud ; 
Alas! that they are dead indeed; they are not written 

down in the Book of the living. 



Sigh is the privilege of Authorship: I purify mine 

office; 
Alheit earthly stains pollute it in my hands. 
For it is to the world a teacher and a guide, Mentor of 

that gay Telemachus ; 
Warning, comforting, and helping, — a lover and friend 

of Man. 
Heaven's almoner, Earth's health, patient minister of 

goodness, 
With kind and zealous pen, the wise religious bless- 

eth: 
Nature's worshipper, and neophyte of grace, rich in 

tender sympathies, 
With kindled soul and flashing eye, the poet poureth out 

his eartful : 



280 m fyxfyotdpp- 

Priest of truth, champion of innocence, warder of the 
gates of praise, 

Carefully with sifting search lahoureth the pale his- 
torian : 

Error's enemy, and acolyte of science, firm in sober argu- 
ment, 

The calm philosopher marshalleth his facts, noting on 
his page their principles. 

These pour mercies upon men ; and others, little less in 
honour, 

By cheerful wit and graphic tale refreshening the harassed 
spirit. 

But, there be other some beside, buyers and sellers in 
the temple, 

Who shame their high vocation, greedy of inglorious 
gain; 

There be, who fabricating books, heed of them meanly 
as of merchandise ; 

And seek nor use, nor truth, nor fame, but sell their 
minds for lucre : 

false brethren ! ye wot indeed the labour, but are wit- 
less of the love ; 

lying prophets, chilled in soul, unquickened by the 
life of inspiration !— 

And there be, who, frivolous and vain, seek to make 
others foolish, 

Snaring Youth by loose sweet Song, and Age by selfish 
maxim : 

Cleverly heartless, and wittily profane, they swell the 
river of corruption : 

Brilliant satellites of sin, — my soul, be not found among 
their company. 



m %T&\m\£%%. 281 

And there be, who, haters of religion, toil to prove it 

priestcraft, 
Owning none other aim nor hope, but to confound the 

good: 
Woe unto them ! for their works shall live ; yea, to their 

utter condemnation : 
Woe ! for their own handwriting shall testify against 

them for ever. 

|Jure is the happiness of Authorship : I glorify mine 

office ; 
Albeit lightly having sipped the cup of its lower plea- 
sures. 
For it is to feel with a father's heart, when he yearneth 

on the child of his affections ; 
To rejoice in a man's own miniature world, gladdened 

by its rare arrangement. 
The poem, is it not a fabric of mind ? we love what we 

create : 
That choice and musical order, — how pleasant is the toil 

of composition ! 
Yea, when the volume of the universe was blazoned out 

in beauty by its Author, 
God was glad, and blessed His work ; for it was very 

good. 
And shall not the image of his Maker be happy in his 

own mind's doing, 
Looking on the structure he hath reared, gratefully with 

sweet complacence ? 
Shall not the Minerva of his brain, panoplied and perfect 

in proportions, 
Gladden the soul and give light unto the eyes, of him 

the travailing parent ? 



282 #f got%r^ip. 

Go to the sculptor, and ask him of his dreams, — where- 
fore are his nights so moonlit ? 

Angel faces, and "beautiful shapes, fascinate the pale 
Pygmalion : 

Go to the painter, and trace his reveries, — wherefore are 
his days so sunny ? 

Choice design and skilful colouring charm the flitting 
hours of Parrhasius : 

Even so, walking in his buoyancy, intoxicate with fairy 
fancies, 

The young enthusiast of authorship goeth on his way re- 
joicing : 

Behold, — he is gallantly attended ; legions of thrilling 
thoughts 

Throng about the standard of his mind, and call his 
Will their captain ; 

Behold, — his court is as a monarch's ; ideas, and grand 
imaginations 

Swell, with gorgeous cavalcade, the splendour of his 
Spiritual State; 

Behold, — he is delicately served : for oftentimes, in soli- 
tary calmness, 

Some mental fair Egeria smileth on her Numa's wor- 
ship; 

Behold, — he is happy ; there is gladness in his eye, and 
his heart is a sealed fountain, 

Bounding secretly with joys unseen, and keeping down 
its ecstacy of pleasure ! 

gea: how dignified, and worthy, full of privilege and 

happiness, 
Standeth in majestic independence the self-ennobled 

Author ! 



©f %x&\m*\p$. 283 

For God hath blessed him with a mind, and cherished it 

in tenderness and purity, 
Hath taught it in the whisperings of wisdom, and added 

all the riches of content : 
Therefore, leaning on his God, a pensioner for soul and 

body, 
His spirit is the subject of none other, calling no man 

Master. 
His hopes are mighty and eternal, scorning small ambi- 
tions : 
He hideth from the pettiness of praise, and pitieth the 

feebleness of envy. 
If he meet honours, well ; it may be his humility to take 

them : 
If he be rebuked, better ; his veriest enemy shall teach 

him. 
For the master-mind hath a birthright of eminence; his 

cradle is an eagle's eyrie : 
Need but to wait till his wings are grown, and Genius 

soareth to the sun : 
To creeping things upon the mountain leaveth he the 

gradual ascent, 
Besting his swiftness on the summit only for a higher 

flight. 
Glad in clear good-conscience, lightly doth he look for 

commendation ; 
What, if the prophet lacketh honour ? for he can spare 

that praise : 
The honest giant careth not to be patted on the back by 

pigmies ; 
Flatter greatness, he brooketh it good-humouredly : 

blame him, — thou tiltest at a pyramid : 



284 ®f ^nfymtfyxf 

Yet, just censure of the good never can he hear without 

contrition ; 
Neither would he miss one wise man's praise, for scarce 

is that jewel and costly: 
Only for the herd of common minds, and the vulgar 

trumpe tings of fame, 
If aught he heedeth in the matter, his honour is sought 

in their neglect. 
Slender is the marvel, and little is the glory, when round 

his luscious fruits 
The worm and the wasp and the multitude of flies are 

gathered as to banquet ; 
Fashion's freak, and the critical sting, and the flood of 

flatteries he scorneth ; 
Cheerfully asking of the crowd the favour to forget 

him: 
The while his blooming fruits ripen in richer fragrance, 
A feast for the few, — and the many yet unborn, — who 

still shall love their savour. 

Js>o then, humbly with his God, and proudly indepen- 
dent of his fellows, 

Walketh, in pleasures multitudinous, the man ennobled 
by his pen : 

He hath built up, glorious architect, a monument more 
durable than brass; 

His children's children shall talk of him in love, and 
teach their sons his honour : 

His dignity hath set him among princes, the universe is 
debtor to his worth, 

His privilege is blessing for ever, his happiness shineth 
now, 



#f gat%rs^P- 285 

For he standeth of that grand Election, each man one 

among a thousand, 
Whose sound is gone out into all lands, and their words 

to the end of the world ! 



286 



®f Isstog. 



&ll things being are in mystery ; we expound mysteries 

by mysteries ; 
And yet the secret of them all is one in simple gran- 
deur : 
All intricate, yet each path plain, to those who know the 

way; 
All unapproachable, yet easy of access, to them that hold 

the key : 
We walk among labyrinths of wonder, but thread the 

mazes with a clue ; 
We sail in chartless seas, but behold ! the pole-star is 

above us. 
For counting down from God's good will, thou meltest 

every riddle into Him, 
The axiom of reason is an undiscovered God, and all 

things live in His ubiquity : 
There is only one great secret; but that one hideth 

everywhere ; 



®i Pg*targ> 287 

How should the infinite be understood in Time, when it 

streteheth on ungrasped for ever ? 
Can a halting (Edipus of earth guess that enigma of the 

universe ? 
Not one : the sword of faith must cut the Gordian knot 

of nature. 

CErod, pervading all, is in all things the mystery of each ; 
The wherefore of its character and essence, the fountain 

of its virtues and its beauties. 
The child asketh of its mother, — Wherefore is the violet 

so sweet ? 
The mother answereth her babe, — Darling, God hath 

willed it. 
And sages, diving into science, have but a profundity of 

words, 
They track for some few links the circling chain of con- 
sequence, 
And then, after doubts and disputations, are left where 

they began, 
At the bald conclusion of a clown, things are because 

they are. 
Wherefore are the meadows green, is it not to gratify the 

eye? 
But why should greenness charm the eye ? such is God's 

good will. 
Wherefore is the ear attuned to a pleasure in musical 

sounds, 
And who set a number to those sounds, and fixed the 

laws of harmony ? 
Who taught the bird to build its nest, or lent the shrub 

its life, 



288 ©f Pgstarg. 

Or poised in the balances of order the power to attract 
and to repel ? 

Who continueth the worlds, and the sea, and the heart, 
in motion ? 

Who commanded gravitation to tie down all upon its 
sphere ? — 

For even as a limestone cliff is an aggregate of countless 
shells, 

One riddle concrete of many, a mystery compact of 
mysteries, 

So God, cloud capped in immensity, standeth the cohe- 
sion of all things, 

And secrets, sublimely indistinct, permeate that Uni- 
verse, Himself: 

As is the whole, so are the parts, whether they be 
mighty or minute, 

The sun is not more unexplained than the tissue of an 
emmet's wing. 

Chus then, omnipresent Deity worketh His unbiassed 

mind, 
A mind, one in moral, but infinitely multiplied in 

means : 
And the uniform prudence of His will cometh to be 

counted law, 
Till mutable man fancieth volition stirring in the potter's 

clay: 
God, a wise father, showeth not His reasons to His 

babes ; 
But willeth in secresy aod goodness : for causes generate 

dispute : 
Then we, His darkling children, watch that invariable 

purpose, 



®i Itptog. 289 

And invest the passive creature with its Maker's energy 
and skill. 

Therefore, they of old time stopped short of God in 
idols, 

Therefore, in these latter days, we heed not the Jehovah 
in His works. 

Mystery is God's great name; He is the mystery of 
goodness : 

Some other, from the hierarchs of heaven, usurped the 
mystery of sin. 

God is the King, yea, even of Himself; He crowned Him- 
self with holiness ; 

The burning circlet of iniquity another found and wore. 

God is separate, even from His attributes ; but He willed 
eternally the good ; 

Therefore freely, though unchangeably, is wise, righte- 
ous, and loving : 

But ambition, open unto angels, saw the evil, flung aside 
from the beginning, 

It was Lucifer that saw, and nothing loathed those black 
unclaimed regalia, 

So he coveted and stole, to be counted for a king, an- 
tagonist of God, 

But when he touched the leprous robes, behold, a 
cheated traitor. 

jfbr self-existence, charactered with love, with power, 

wisdom, and ubiquity, 
Could not dwell alone, but willed and worked creation. 
Thus, in continual exhalation, darkening the void with 

matter, 
Sprang from prolific Deity the creatures of His skill. 

u 



290 ®i Pgsterg. 

And beings living on His breath, were needfully less 
perfect than Himself, 

Therefore less capable of bliss, whereat His benevolence 
was bounded ; 

So to make the capability expand, intensely progressive 
to eternity, 

He suffered darkness to illustrate the light, and pain to 
heighten pleasure : 

To heap up happiness on souls He loved, allowed He sin 
and sorrow, 

And then to guilt and grief and shame, He brought un- 
bidden amnesty : 

Sinless, none had been redeemed, nor wrapt again in 
God: 

Sorrowless, no conflict had been known, and Heaven 
had been mulcted of its comfort : 

Yea, with evil unexhibited, probationary toils unfelt, 

Men had not appreciated good, nor angels valued their 
security. 

Herein, to reason's eye, is revealed the mystery of good- 
ness 

Blessing, through permitted woe, and teaching by the 
mystery of sin. 

<& Christian, whose chastened curiosity loveth things 

mysterious, 
Accounting them shadows and eclipses of Him the one 

great light, 
Look now, satisfied with faith, on minds that judge by 

sense, 
And, dull from contemplating matter, take small heed of 

spirit. 



m Pgsterg. 291 

Toiling feebly upward, their argument tracketh from 

below, 
They catch the latest consequent, and prove the nearest 

cause : 
What is this ? that a seed produced a seed, and so for a 

thousand seasons; 
Ascend a thousand steps, thy ladder leaveth thee in 

air : 
Thou canst not climb to God, and short of Him is 

nothing ; 
There is no cause for ought we see, but in His present 

will 
Begin from the Maker, thou earliest down His attributes 

to reptiles, 
The sharded beetle and the lizard live and move in 

Him: 
Begin from the creature, corruption and infirmity mar 

thy foolish toil, 
Heap Ossa on Olympus, how much art thou nearer to 

the stars? 
It is easy running from a mountain's top down to the 

valleys at its foot, 
But difficult and steep the laborious ascent, and feebly 

shalt thou reach it ; 
Yet man, beginning from himself, that first deluding 

mystery, 
Hopeth from the pit of lies to struggle up to truth ; 
So, taxing knowledge to its strength, he pusheth one 

step further, 
And fancieth complacently that much is done by reach- 
ing a remote effect : 

TT 2 



292 #f pgatog* 

Then he maketh answer to himself, as a silly nurse to her 

little one, 
Evading, in a mist of words, hard things he cannot 

solve ; 
Till, like an ostrich in the desert, he hurieth his head in 

atoms, 
Thinking that, if he is hlind, no sun can shine in 

heaven. 

(therefore cometh it to pass, that an atheist is ever the 

most credulous, 
Snatching at any foolish cause, that may dispel his 

doubts ; 
And, even as it were for ridicule, a spectacle for men and 

angels, 
The captious and cautious unbeliever is of all men 

weakest to believe : 
Cut from the anchorage of God, his bark is a plaything 

of the billows ; » 

The compass of his principle is broken, the rudder of 

his faith unshipped : 
Chance and Fate, in a stultified antagonism, govern all 

for him ; 
Truth sprang from the conflict of falsities, and the mul- 
titude of accidents hath bred design ! 
Where is the imposture so gross, that shall not entrap 

his curiosity ? 
What superstition is so abject, that it doth not blanch 

his cheek ? 
Whereof can he be sure, with whom Chaos is substitute 

for Order ? 



m PiJsitrg. 293 

How should his silly structure stand, a pyramid built 

upon its apex ? — 
Yea, I have seen grey-headed men, the bastard slips of 

science, 
Go for light to glow-worms, while they scorn the sun at 

noon: 
Men, who fear no God, trembling at a gipsy's curse, 
Men, who jest at revelation, clinging to a madman's 

prophecy ! 

Chere is a pleasing dread in the fashion of all mysteries, 

For hope is mixed therein and fear; who shall divine 
their issues ? 

Even the orphan, wandering by night, lost on dreary 
moors, 

Is sensible of some vague bliss amidst his shapeless 
terrors ; 

'The buoyancy of instant expectation, spurring on the 
mind to venture, 

Overbeareth, in its energy, the cramp and the chill of 
apprehension. 

There is a solitary pride, when the heart, in new import- 
ance, 

Writeth gladly on its archives, the secrets none other 
men have seen : 

And there is a caged terror, evermore wrestling with the 
mind, 

When crime hath whispered his confession, and the se- 
crets are written there in blood : 

The village maiden is elated at the tenderly confided tale : 

The bandit's wife with sickening fear guessed the preme- 
ditated murder : 



294 $f ftgstag. 

The sage, with triumph on his hrow, hideth up his deep 

discovery ; 
The idlest clown shall delve all day, to find a hidden 

treasure. 

Jfor mystery is man's life ; we wake to the whisperings 

of novelty : 
And what, though we lie down disappointed? we sleep, 

to wake in hope. 
The letter, or the news, the chances and the changes, 

matters that may happen, 
Sweeten or embitter daily life with the honey-gall of 

mystery. 
For we walk blindfold, — and a minute may be much, — 

a step may reach the precipice ; 
What earthly loss, what heavenly gain, may not this 

day produce? 
Levelled of Alps and Andes, without its valleys and 

ravines, 
How dull the face of earth, unfeatured of both beauty 

and sublimity: 
And so, shorn of mystery, beggared in its hopes and 

fears, 
How flat the prospect of existence, mapped by intuitive 

foreknowledge. 
Praise God, creatures of earth, for the mercies linked 

with secresy, 
That spices of uncertainty enrich the cup of life ; 
Praise God, his hosts on high, for the mysteries that 

make all joy ; 
What were intelligence, with nothing more to learn, or 

heaven, in eternity of sameness ? 



#f itgstag. 295 

Co number every mystery were to sum the sum of all 

things : 
None can exhaust a theme, whereof God is example and 

similitude. 
Nevertheless, take a garland from the garden, a handful 

from the harvest, 
Some scattered drops of spray from the ceaseless mighty 

cataract. 
Whence are we, — whither do we tend, — how do we feel, 

and reason ? 
How strange a thing is man, a spirit saturating clay ! 
When doth soul make embryos immortal, — how do they 

rank hereafter, — 
And will the unconscious idiot be quenched in death as 

nothing? 
In essence immaterial, are these minds, as it were, 

thinking machines ? 
For, to understand may but rightly be to use a mechanism 

all possess, 
So that in reading or hearing of another, a man shall 

seem unto himself 
To be recollecting images or arguments, native and con- 
genial to his mind : 
And yet, what shall we say, — who can arede the 

riddle ? 
The brain may be clockwork, and mind its spring, me- 
chanism quickened by a spirit. 



10 so shrewd as rightly to divide life, instinct, rea- 
son; 
Trees, zoophytes, creatures of the plain, and savage men 
among them ? 



296 #f gaging. 

Hath the mimosa instinct, — or the scallop more than 

life,— 
Or the dog less than reason, — or the brute-man more 

than instinct ? 
What is the cause of health, — and the gendering of 

disease ? 
Why should arsenic kill, and whence is the potency of 

antidotes ? 
Behold, a morsel, — eat and die ; the term of thy proba- 
tion is expired : 
Behold, a potion, — drink and be alive ; the limits of thy 

trial is enlarged. 
Who can expound beauty ? or explain the character of 

nations ? 
Who will furnish a cause for the epidemic force of 

fashion ? 
Is there a moral magnetism living in the light of ex- 
ample? 
Is practice electricity ? — Yet all these are but names. 
Doth normal Art imprison, in its works, spirit translated 

into substance, 
So that the statue, the picture, or the poem , are crystals 

of the mind? 
And doth Philosophy with sublimating skill shred away 

the matter, 
Till rarefied intelligence exudeth even out of stocks and 

stones? 

^ mysteries, ye all are one, the mind of an inexplicable 

Architect 
Dwelleth alike in each, quickening and moving in them 

all. 



•f Sfesteg. 297 

Fields, and forests, and cities of men, their woes and 

wealth and works, 
And customs, and contrivances of life, with all we see 

and know, 
For a little way, a little while, ye hang dependent on 

each other, 
But all are held in one right-hand, and hy His will ye 

are. 
Here is an answer unto mystery, an unintelligible God, 
This is the end and the beginning, it is reason that He 

be not understood. 
Therefore it were probable and just, even to a man's 

weak thinking, 
To have one for God who always may be learnt, yet 

never fully known : 
That He, from whom all mysteries spring, in whom they 

all converge, 
Throned in His sublimity beyond the grovellings of lower 

intellect, 
Should claim to be truer than man's truest, the boasted 

certainty of numbers, 
Should baffle his arithmetic, confound his demonstrations, 

and paralyse the might of his necessity, 
Standing supreme as the mystery of mysteries, every- 
where, yet impersonate, 
Essential One in three, essential Three in one i 



298 



#f mtu. 



3E fjatf a seeming friend ; — I gave him gifts, and he was 

gone: 
I had an open enemy ; — I gave him gifts, and won him : 
Common friendship standeth on equalities, and cannot 

bear a debt ; 
But the very heart of hate melteth at a good man's 

love: 
Go to, then, thou that sayest, — I will give and rivet the 

links : 
For pride shall kick at obligation, and push the giver 

from him. 
The covetous spirit may rejoice, revelling in thy 

largess, 
But chilling selfishness will mutter, — I must give 

again : 
The vain heart may be glad, in this new proof of man's 

esteem, 
But the same idolatry of self abhorreth thoughts of 

thanking. 



#f (Bifig. 299 

Nevertheless, give ; for it shall be a discriminating test 

Separating honesty from falsehood, weeding insincerity 
from friendship. 

Give, it is like God; thou weariest the bad with 
benefits : 

Give, it is like God ; thou gladdenest the good by grati- 
tude. 

Give to thy near of kin, for providence hath stationed 
thee his helper : 

Yet see that he claim not as his right, thy freewill offer- 
ing of duty. 

Give to the young, they love it ; neither hath the poison 
of suspicion 

Spoilt the flavour of their thanks, to look for latent 
motives. 

Give to merit, largely give ; his conscious heart will 
bless thee : 

It is not flattery, but love, — the sympathy of men his 
brethren. 

Give, for encouragement in good ; the weak desponding 
mind 

Hath many foes, and much to do, and leaneth on its 
friends. 

Yet heed thou wisely these ; give seldom to thy 
better ; 

For such obtrusive boon shall savour of presumption ; 

Or, if his courteous bearing greet thy proffered kind- 
ness, 

Shall not thine independent honesty be vexed at the 
semblance of a bribe ? 

Moreover heed thou this ; give to thine equal charily, 

The occasion fair and fitting, the gift well chosen and 
desired : 



300 #f tm*. 

Hath he been prosperous and blest ? a flower may show 
thy gladness ; 

Is he in need ? with liberal love, tender him the well 
filled purse : 

Disease shall welcome friendly care in grapes and pre- 
cious unguents ; 

And where a darling child hath died, give praise, and 
hope, and sympathy. 

Yet once more, heed thou this; give to the poor dis- 
creetly, 

Nor suffer idle sloth to lean upon thy charitable arm : 

To diligence give, as to an equal, on just and fit occa- 
sion ; 

Or he bartereth his hard-earned self-reliance for the 
casual lottery of gifts. 

The timely loan hath 'added nerve, where easy liberality 
would palsy ; 

Work and wages make a light heart ; but the mendicant 
asked with a heavy spirit. 

A man's own self-respect is worth unto him more than 
money, 

And evil is the charity that humbleth, and maketh man 
less happy. 

(£here are who sow liberalities, to reap the like again ; 

But men accept his boon, scorning the shallow usurer : 

I have known many such a fisherman lose his golden 
baits ; 

And oftentimes the tame decoy escapeth with the flock. 

Yea, there are who give unto the poor, to gain large in- 
terest of God, — 

Fool, — to think His wealth is money, and not mind : 



•f gxftfl. 301 

And haply after thine alms, thy calculated givings, 

The hurricane shall blast thy crops, and sink the home- 
ward ship ; 

Then shall thy worldly soul murmur that the balances 
were false, 

Thy trader's mind shall think of God, — He stood not to 
His bargain ! 

Give, saith the preacher, be large in liberality, yield to 

the holy impulse, 
Tarry not for cold consideration, but cheerfully and 

freely scatter. 
So, for complacency of conscience, in a gush of counter- 
feited charity, 
He that hath not wherewith to be just, selfishly pre- 

sumeth to be generous : 
The debtor, and the rich by wrong, are known among 

the band of the benevolent ; 
And men extol the noble hearts, who rob that they may 

give. 
Eeceivers are but little prone to challenge rights of 

giving, 
Nor stop to test, for conscience' sake, the righteousness 

of mammon : 
And the zealot in a cause is a receiver, at the hand which 

bettereth his cause ; 
And thus an unsuspected bribe shall blind the good 

man's judgment : 
It is easy to excuse greatness, and the rich are readily 

forgiven : 
What, if his gains were evil, sanctified by using them 

aright ? 



302 #f m*. 

shallow flatterer, self-interest is thy thought, 
Hopeless of partaking in the like, thou too wouldest 
scorn the giver, 

JHoney hath its value ; and the scatterer thereof his 

thanks : 
Few men, drinking at a rivulet, stop to consider its 

source. 
The hand that closeth on an aim, he it for necessities or 

zeal, 
Hath small scruple whence it came : Vespasian rejoiceth 

in his tribute. 
Therefore have colleges and hospitals risen upon 

orphans' wrongs, 
Chapels and cathedrals have thriven on the welcome 

wages of iniquity, 
And fraud, in evil compensation, hath salved his guilty 

conscience, 
Not by restoring to the cheated, but by ostentatious 

giving to the grateful. 

Jj>o, those who reap rejoice; and reaping, bless the 

sower : 
No one is eager to discover, where discovery tendeth 

unto loss : 
Yet, if knowledge of a theft make gainers thereby 

guilty, 
Can he be altogether innocent, who never asked the 

honesty of gain ? 
Therefore, preacher, zealous for charity, temper thy 

warm appeal, — 



m «xfis. 303 

Warning the debtor and unjustly rich, they may not dare 

to give : 
To do good is a privilege and guerdon : how shouldest 

thou rejoice 
If ill-got gifts of presumptuous fraud be offered on the 

altar ? 
The question is not of degrees; unhallowed alms are 

evil; 
Discourage and reject alike the obolus, or talent of 

iniquity. 

get more, be careful that, unworthily, thou gain not an 
advantage over weakness, 

Unstable souls, fervent and profuse, fluttered by the 
feeling of the moment ; 

For eloquence swayeth to its will the feeble and the 
conscious of defect : 

.Rashly give they, and afterward are sad, — a gift that 
doubly erred. 

It was the worldliness of priestcraft that accounted alms- 
giving for charity ; 

And many a father's penitence hath steeped his son in 
penury ; 

Yet, considered he lightly the guilt of a death-bed selfish- 
ness 

That strove to take with him, for gam, the gold no 
longer his ; 

So he died in a false peace, and dying robbed his kin- 
dred; 

The cunning friar at his side having cheated both the 
living and the dead. 



304 #f «tft0. 

Charity sitteth on a fair hill-top, blessing far and near, 
But her garments drop ambrosia, chiefly, on the violets 

around her : 
She gladdeneth indeed the maplike scene, stretching to 

the verge of the horizon, 
For her angel face is lustrous and beloved, even as the 

moon in heaven : 
But the light of that beatific vision gloweth in serener 

concentration 
The nearer to her heart, and nearer to her home, — that 

hill-top where she sitteth : 
Therefore is she kind unto her kin, yearning in affection 

on her neighbours, 
Giving gifts to those around, who know and love her 

well. 
But the counterfeit of charity, an hypocrite of earth, not 

a grace of heaven, 
Seeketh not to bless at home, for her nearer aspect is 

ill-favoured : 
Therefore hideth she for shame, counting that pride 

humility, 
And none of those around her hearth are gladdened by 

her gifts : 
Eather, with an overreaching zeal, flingeth she her 

bounty to the stranger, 
And scattered prodigalities abroad compensate for mean- 
ness in her home : 
For benefits showered on the distant shine in unmixed 

beauty, 
So that even she may reap their undiscerning praise : 
Therefore native want hath pined, where foreign need was 

fattened; 



m (gifts. 305 

Woman been crushed by the tyrannous hand that upheld 

the flag of liberality ; 
Poverty been prisoned up and starred, by hearts that 

are maudlin upon crime ; 
And freeborn babes been manacled by men, who liberate 

the sturdy slave. 

policy counselleth a gift, given wisely and in season, 

And policy afterwards approveth it, for great is the in- 
fluence of gifts. 

The lover, unsmiled upon before, is welcome for his 
jewelled bauble ; 

The righteous cause without a fee, must yield to boun- 
teous guilt: 

How fair is a man in thine esteem, whose just discrimi- 
nation seeketh thee, 

And so, discerning merit, honoureth it with gifts ! 

Yea, let the cause appear sufficient, and the motive 
clear and unsuspicious, 

As given unto one who cannot help, or proving honest 
thanks, 

There liveth not one among a million, who is proof 
against the charm of liberality, 

And flattery, that boon of praise, hath power with the 
wisest. 

;fHan is of three natures, craving all for charity ; 

It is not enough to give him meats, withholding other 

comfort ; 
For the mind starveth, and the soul is scorned, and so 

the human animal 



306 $f mt*. 

Eateth his unsatisfying pittance, a thankless, heartless 

pauper : 
Yet would he bless thee and be grateful, didst thou feed 

his spirit, 
And teach him that thine almsgivings are charities, are 

loves : 
— I saw a beggar in the street, and another beggar pitied 

him ; 
Sympathy sank into his soul, and the pitied one felt 

happier : 
Anon passed by a cavalcade, children of wealth and 

gaiety ; 
They laughed, and looked upon the beggar, and the 

gallants flung him gold ; 
He, poor spirit-humbled wretch, gathered up their giv- 

ings with a curse, 
And went — to share it with his brother, the beggar who 

had pitied him 



307 



ffl ^tMtl 



(£I)0U mightier than Manoah's son, whence is thy great 
strength, 

And wherein the secret of thy craft, charmer charm- 
ing wisely ? — 

For thou art strong in weakness, and in artlessness well- 
skilled, 

Constant in the multitude of change, and simple amidst 
intricate complexity. 

Folly's shallow lip can ask the deepest question, 

And many wise in many words should answer, what is 
heauty ? — 

Who shall separate the hues that flicker on a dying 
dolphin, 

Or analyse the jewelled lights that deck the peacock's 
train, 

Or shrewdly mix upon a pallette the tints of an irides- 
cent spar, 

Or set in rank the wandering shades about a watered 
silk? 

x 2 



308 ftf §z m t n . 

Jbr beauty is intangible, vague, ill to be denned ; 

She hath the coat of a chameleon, changing while we 
watch it. 

Strangely woven is the web, disorderly yet harmonious, 

A glistering robe of mingled mesh, that may not be un- 
ravelled. 

It is shot with heaven's blue, the soul of summer skies, 

And twisted strings of light, the mind of noonday suns, 

And ruddy gleams of life, that roll along the veins, 

A coat of many colours, running curiously together. 

There is threefold beauty for man; twofold beauty for 
the animal ; 

And the beauty of inanimates is single : body, temper, 
spirit. 

Multiplied in endless combination, issue the changeable 
results ; 

Each class verging on the other twain, with impercept- 
ible gradation ; 

And every individual in each having his propriety of 
difference, 

So that the meanest of creation bringeth in a tribute of 
the beautiful. 

Yea, from the worst in favour shineth out a fitness of 
design, 

The patent mark of beauty, its Maker's name im- 
prest. 

For the great Creator's seal is set to all His works ; 

Its quarterings are Attributes of praise, and all the shield 
is Beauty : 

So, that heraldic blazon is Creation's common signet; 

And the universal family of life goeth in the colours of 
its Lord : 



•f gmig. 309 

But each one, as a several son, shall hear those arms 
with a difference : 

Beauty, various in phase, and similar in seeming oppo- 
sitions. 

The coins of old Borne were struck with a diversity for 
each, 

Barely two he found alike, in every Caesar's image : 

So, note thou the seals, ranged around the charters of 
the Universe, 

The finger of God is the stamp upon them all, hut each 
hath its separate variety. 

SSeauty, theme of innocence, how may guilt discourse 

thee? 
Let holy angels sing thy praise, for man hath marred thy 

visage. 
Still the maimed torso of a Theseus can gladden taste 

with its proportions ; 
Though sin hath shattered every limh, how comely are 

the fragments ! 
And music leaveth on the ear a memory of sweet 

sounds ; 
And hroken arches charm the sight with hints of fair 

completeness. 
So, while humbled at the ruin, he thou grateful for the 

relics : 
Go forth, and look on all around with kind uncaptious 

eye: 
Freely let us wander through these unfrequented ways, 
And talk of glorious beauty filling all the world. 

jfor beauty hideth everywhere, that Reason's child may 
seek her, 



310 ftf 2tot% 

And having found the gem of price, may set it in God's 

crown. 
Beauty nestleth in the rosebud, or walketh the firmament 

with planets, 
She is heard in the beetle's evening hymn, and shouteth 

in the matins of the sun ; 
The cheek of the peach is glowing with her smile, her 

splendour blazeth in the lightning, 
She is the dryad of the woods, the naiad of the streams ; 
Her golden hair hath tapestried the silkworm's silent 

chamber, 
And to her measured harmonies the wild waves beat in 

time; 
With tinkling feet at eventide she danceth in the mea- 
dow, 
Or, like a Titan, lieth stretched athwart the ridgy 

Alps; 
She is rising, in her veil of mist, a Venus from the 

waters, — 
Men gaze upon the loveliness, — and lo, it is beautiful 

exceedingly ; 
She, with the might of a Briareus, is dragging down the 

clouds upon the mountain, — 
Men look upon the grandeur, — and lo, it is excellent in 

glory. 
For I judge that beauty and sublimity be but the lesser 

and the great, 
Sublime, as magnified to giants, and beautiful, diminished 

into fairies. 
It were a false fancy to solve all beauty by desire, 
It were a lowering thought to expound sublimity by 

dread. 



#f §tmt% 311 

Cowardly men with trembling hearts have feared the 
furious storm, 

Nor felt its thrilling beauty; but is it then not beau- 
tiful? 

And careless men, at summer's eve, have loved the dim- 
pled waves; 

that smile upon the seas, — hath it no sublimity? 

Dost thou nothing know of this, — to be awed at woman's 
beauty ? 

Nor, with exhilarated heart, to hail the crashing thun- 
der? 

Thou hast much to learn, that never found a fearfulness 
in flowers ; 

Thou hast missed of joy, that never basked in beauties 
of the terrible. 

Js>how me an enthusiast in aught; he hath noted one 
thing narrowly, 

And lo, his keenness hath detected the one dear hiding- 
place of beauty : 

Then he boasteth, simple soul, flattered by discovery, 

Fancying that no science else can show so fair and pre- 
cious : 

He hath found a ray of light, and cherisheth the treasure 
in his closet, 

Mocking at those larger minds, that bathe in floods of 
noon; 

Lo, what a jewel hath he gotten, — this is the monopolist 
of beauty, — 

And lightly heeding all beside, he poured his yearnings 
thitherward : 

Be it for love, or for learning, habit, art, or nature, 



312 m § tm t%. 

Exclusive thought is all the cause of this particular zeal. 

But the like intensity of fitness, kind and skilful beauty, 

So pleasant to his mind in one thing, filleth all beside : 

From the waking minute of a chrysalis, to the perfect 
cycle of chronology, 

From the centipede's jointed armour, to the mammoth's 
fossil ribs, 

From the kingfisher's shrill note, to the cataract's thun- 
dering bass, 

From the greensward's grateful hues, to the fascinating 
eye of woman, 

Beauty, various in all things, setteth up her home in 
each, 

Shedding graciously around an omnipresent smile. 

^Hhere is beauty in the rolling clouds, and placid shingle 

beach, 
In feathery snows, and whistling winds, and dun electric 

skies ; 
There is beauty in the rounded woods, dank with heavy 

foliage, 
In laughing fields, and dinted hills, the valley and its 

lake; 
There is beauty in the gullies, beauty on the cliffs, 

beauty in sun and shade, 
In rocks and rivers, seas and plains, — the earth is 

drowned in beauty. 

SSeauty coileth with the watersnake, and is cradled in the 

shrewmouse's nest, 
She flitteth out with evening bats, and the soft mole hid 

her in his tunnel ; 



•f §zmt%. 313 

The limpet is encamped upon the shore, and beauty not 

a stranger to his tent ; 
The silvery dace and golden carp thread the rushes with 

her : 
She saileth into clouds with an eagle, she nuttereth into 

tulips with a humming bird ; 
The pasturing kine are of her company, and she prowleth 

with the leopard in his jungle. 

JHoreover, for the reasonable world, its words, and acts, 

and speculations, 
For frail and fallen manhood, in his every work and 

way, 
Beauty, wrecked and stricken, lingereth still among us, 
And morsels of that shattered sun are dropt upon the 

darkness. 
Yea, with savages and boors, the mean, the cruel, and 

besotted, 
Ever in extenuating grace hide some relics of the beau- 
tiful. 
Gleams of kindness, deeds of courage, patience, justice, 

generosity, 
Truth welcomed, knowledge prized, rebukes taken with 

contrition, 
All, iu various measure, have been blest with some of 

these, 
And never yet hath lived the man utterly beggared of 

the beautiful. 

beauty is as crystal in the torchlight, sparkling on the 
poet's page ; 



314 #f g^ig. 

Virgin honey of Hymettus, distilled from the lips of the 

orator ; 
A savour of sweet spikenard, anointing the hands of 

liberality ; 
A feast of angels' food set upon the tahles of religion. 
She is seen in the tear of sorrow, and heard in the exu- 

herance of mirth ; 
She goeth out early with the huntsman, and watcheth at 

the pillow of disease. 
Science in his secret laws hath found out latent heauty, 
Sphere and square, and cone and curve, are fashioned 

hy her rules : 
Mechanism met her in his forces, fancy caught her in 

its nittings, 
Day is lightened by her eyes, and her eyelids close upon 

the night. 

3Seauty is dependence in the babe, a toothless tender 

nurseling ; 
Beauty is boldness in the boy, a curly rosy truant; 
Beauty is modesty and grace in fair retiring girlhood, 
Beauty is openness and strength in pure high-minded 

youth ; 
Man, the noble and intelligent, gladdeneth earth in 

beauty, 
And woman's beauty sunneth him, as with a smile from 

heaven. 

Chere is none enchantment against beauty, Magician 

for all time, 
Whose potent spells of sympathy have charmed the 

passive world: 



®f fttvakg. 315 

Verily, she reigneth a Semiramis; there is no might 
against her ; 

The lords of every land are harnessed to her triumph. 

Beauty is conqueror of all, nor ever yet was found among 
the nations 

That iron- moulded mind, full proof against her power. 

Beauty, like a summer's day, suhdueth by sweet influ- 
ences; 

Who can wrestle against Sleep ? — yet is that giant, very 
gentleness. 

$/jax may rout a phalanx, but beauty shall enslave him 

single-handed ; 
Pericles ruled Athens, yet is he the servant of Aspasia : 
Light were the labour, and often-told the tale, to count 

the victories of beauty, — 
Helen, and Judith, and Omphale, and Thais, many a 

trophied name. 
At a glance the misanthrope was softened, and repented 

of his vows, 
When beauty asked, he gave, and banned her — with a 

blessing ; 
The cold ascetic loved the smile that lit his dismal cell, 
And kindly stayed her step, and wept when she de- 
parted : 
The bigot abbess felt her heart gush with a mother's 

feeling, 
When looking on some lovely face beneath the cloister's 

shade ; 
Usury freed her without ransom; the buccaneer was 

gentle in her presence ; 
Madness kissed her on the cheek, and Idiotcy brightened 

at her coming : 



316 #f §zmt%. 

Yea, the very cattle in the field, and hungry prowlers of 

the forest 
With fawning homage greeted her, as Beauty glided by. 
A welcome guest unbidden, she is dear to every hearth ; 
A glad spontaneous growth of friends is springing round 

her rest : 
Learning sitteth at her feet, and Idleness laboureth to 

please her, 
Folly hath flung aside his bells, and leaden Dullness 

gloweth ; 
Prudence is rash in her defence ; Frugality filleth her 

with riches ; 
Despair came to her for counsel ; and Bereavement was 

glad when she consoled ; 
Justice putteth up his sword at the tear of supplicating 

beauty, 
And Mercy, with indulgent haste, hath pardoned beauty's 

sin. 

Jfor beauty is the substitute for all things, satisfying 
every absence, 

The rich delirious cup to make all else forgotten : 

She also is the zest unto all things, enhancing every pre- 
sence, 

The rare and precious ambergris, to quicken each per- 
fume. 

beauty, thou art eloquent; yea, though slow of 
tongue, 

Thy breast, fair Phryne, pleaded well before the dazzled 
judge: 

beauty, thou art wise ; yea, though teaching falsely, 

Sages listen, sweet Corinna, to commend thy lips ; 



•f §zunt%. 317 

beauty, thou art ruler ; yea, though lowly as a slave, 

Myrrha, that imperial brow is monarch of thy lord ; 

beauty, thou art winner ; yea, though halting in the 
race, 

Hippodame, Camilla, Atalanta, — in gracefulness, ye fas- 
cinate your umpires ; 

beauty, thou art rich ; yea, though clad in russet, 

Attalus cannot boast his gold against the wealth of 
beauty ; 

beauty, thou art noble; yea, though Esther be an 
exile, 

Set her up on high, ye kings, and bow before the majesty 
of beauty ! 

Jfriend and scholar, who, in charity, hast walked with me 

thus far, 
We have wandered in a wilderness of sweets, tracking 

beauty's footsteps : 
And ever as we rambled on among the tangled thicket, 
Many a startled thought hath tempted further roaming : 
Passion, sympathetic influence, might of imaginary 

haloes, — 
Many the like would lure aside, to hunt their wayward 

themes. 
And, look you, — from his ferny bed in yonder hazel 

coppice, *> 
A dappled hart hath flung aside the boughs and broke 

away; 
He is fleet and capricious as the zephyr, and with exult- 
ing bounds 
Hieth down a turfy lane between the sounding woods ; 
His neck is garlanded with flowers, his antlers hung 

with chaplets, 



318 $f §*a% 

And rainbow-coloured ribbons stream adown his mottled 

flanks : 
Should we follow? — foolish hunters, thus to chase 

afoot, — 
Who can track the airy speed and doubling wiles of 

Taste? 

JFor the estimates of human beauty, dependent upon 

time and clime, 
Manifold and changeable, are multiplied the more by 

strange gregarious fashion : 
And notable ensamples in the great turn to epidemics 

in the lower, 
So that a nation's taste shall vary with its rulers. 
Stern Egypt, humbled to the Greek, fancied softer idols, 
Greece, the Roman province, nigh forgat her classic 

sculpture ; 
Home, crushed beneath the Goth, loved his barbarian 

habits, 
And Alaric, with his ruffian horde, is tamed by silken 

Rome. 
Columbia's flattened head, and China's crumpled feet, — 
The civilized tapering waist, — and the pendulous ears of 

the savage, — 
The swollen throat among the mountains, and an ebon 

skin beneath the tropics, — 
These shall all be reckoned beauty: and for weighty 

cause. 
First, for the latter: Providence in mercy tempereth 

taste by circumstance, 
So that Nature's must shall hit her creature's liking ; 
Second, for the middle : though the foolishness of vanity 

seek to mar proportion, 



•f §zmt%. 319 

Still, defects in those we love shall soon be counted 

praise ; 
Third, for the first : a chief, and a princess, maimed or 

distorted from the cradle, 
Shall coax the flattery of slaves to imitate the great in 

their deformity : 
Hence groweth habit : and habits make a taste, 
And so shall servile zeal deface the types of beauty. 
Whiles Alexander conquered, crookedness was comely: 
And followers leam to praise the scars upon their leader's 

brow. 
Youth hath sought to flatter age by mimicking grey 

hairs ; 
Age plastereth her wrinkles, and is painted in the ruddi- 
ness of Youth. 
Fashion, the parasite of Eank, apeth faults and failings, 
Until the general Taste depraved hath warped its sense 

of beauty. 

<2;ach man hath a measure for himself, yet all shall coin- 
cide in much ; 

A perfect form of human grace would captivate the 
world : 

Be it manhood's lustre, or the loveliness of woman, all 
would own its beauty, 

The Caffre and Circassian, Russians and Hindoos, the 
Briton, the Turk, and Japanese. 

Not all alike, nor all at once, but each in proportion to 
intelligence, 

His purer state in morals, and a lesser grade in guilt : 

For the high standard of the beautiful is fixed in Rea- 
son's forum. 



3*20 &i §tvadg. 

And sins, and customs, and caprice, have failed to break 

it down : 
And reason's standard for the creature pointeth three 

perfections, 
Frame, knowledge, and the feeling heart, well and kindly 

mingled : 
A fair dwelling, furnished wisely, with a gentle tenant 

in it, 
This is the glory of humanity: thou hast seen it seldom. 

Chere is a beauty for the body ; the superficial polish of 

a statue, 
The symmetry of form and feature delicately carved and 

painted. 
How bright in early bloom the Georgian sitteth at her 

lattice, 
How softened off in graceful curves her young and gentle 

shape : 
Those dark eyes, lit by curiosity, flash beneath the 

lashes, 
And still her velvet cheek is dimpled with a smile. 
Dost thou count her beautiful? — even as a mere fair 

figure, 
A plastic image, little more, — the outer garb of woman : 
Yea, — and thus far it is well; but Reason's hopes are 

higher, — 
Can he sate his soul on a scantling third of beauty? 

§et is this the pleasing trickery, that cheateth half the 

world, 
Nature's wise deceit to make up waste in life ; 
And few be they that rest unc aught, for many a twig is 

limed; 



©f geaatg. B^l 

When if the wise among a minion, that took not form 
for beauty ? 

But watch it well : for vanity and sin. malice, hate, sus- 
picion. 

rads upon the countenance, win disen- 
chant its charms. 

The needful complexity oi beauty claimeth mind and 
soul. 
igh many coins of foul alloy pass cm-rent lor the 
true : 

And albeit fairness in the creatine shall often co-exist 
with excellence. 

Yet hath m igel shape been tenanted by hends. 

A man. spiritually keen, shall detect in surface beauty 
evil which the sensual cannot 
see : 

is he proof against a face, unlovely to his 
likings. 

And common minds shall scorn the taste, that shrank 
from sins distortion. 

Chere is a beauty for the reason : grandly independent 

of externals. 
It looketh from the win." be house, shining in 

e man triumphant. 
I have seen the broad blank face of some misshapen 

dwarf 
Lit on a sudden as with glory, the brilliant light of 

niind: 
Who then imagined him deformed? intelligence 

bug on his forehead. 

Y 



322 #f §tmt^ 

There is empire in his eye, and sweetness on his lip, and 
his brown cheek glittereth with beauty : 

And I have known some Nireusof the camp, a varnished 
paragon of chamberers, 

Fine, elegant, and shapely, moulded as the master-piece 
of Phidias, — 

Such an one, with intellects abased, have I noted crouch- 
ing to the dwarf, 

Whilst his lovers scorn the fool, whose beauty hath de- 
parted ! 

^[nd there is a beauty for the spirit ; mind in its perfect 

flowering, 
Fragrant, expanded into soul, full of love and blessed. 
Go to some squalid couch, some famishing death-bed 

of the poor ; 
He is shrunken, cadaverous, diseased ; — there is here no 

beauty of the body : 
Never hath he fed on knowledge, nor drank at the 

streams of science, 
He is of the common herd, illiterate; — there is here no 

beauty of the reason : 
But lo ! his filming eye is bright with love from heaven, 
In every look it beameth praise, as worshipping with 

seraphs ; 
What honeycomb is hived upon his lips eloquent of 

gratitude and prayer, — 
What triumph shrined serene upon that clammy brow, 
What glory flickering transparent under those thin 

cheeks, — 
What beauty in his face! — Is it not the face of an 

angel 9 



<©f $*a«tg. 323 

^ow, of these three, infinitely mingled and combined, 
Consisteth human beauty, in all the marvels of its mighti- 
ness : 
And forth from human beauty springeth the intensity of 

Love; 
Feeling, thought, desire, the three deep fountains of 

affection. 
Son of Adam, or daughter of Eve, art thou trapped by 

nature, 
And is thy young eye dazzled with the pleasant form of 

beauty ? 
This is but a lower love; still it hath its honour ; 
What God hath made and meant to charm, let not man 

despise. 
Nevertheless, as reason's child, look thou wisely farther, 
For age. disease, and care, and sin, shall tarnish all the 

surface : 
Beach a loftier love : be lured by the comeliness of 

mind, — 
Gentle, kind, and calm, or lustrous in the livery of know- 
ledge : 
And more, there is a higher grade ; force the mind to its 

perfection, — 
Win those golden trophies of consummate love : 
Add unto riches of the reason, and a beauty moulded to 

thy liking, 
The precious things of nobler grace that well adorn a 

soul; 
Thus, be thou owner of a treasure, great in earth and 

heaven, 
Beauty, wisdom, goodness, in a creature like its God. 

y 2 



324 m gjomtg. 

§}0 then, draw we to an end ; with feeble step and fal- 
tering, 
I follow Beauty through the universe, and find her home 

Ubiquity ; 
In all that God hath made, in all that man hath marred, 
Lingereth beauty, or its wreck, a broken mould and 

castings. 
And now, having wandered long time, freely and with 

desultory feet. 
To gather in the garden of the world a few fair sample 

flowers, 
With patient scrutinizing care let us cull the conclusion 

of their essence, 
And answer to the riddle of Zorobabel, Whence the 

might of beauty ? 

Ugliness is native unto nothing, but an attribute of 

concrete evil ; 
In everything created, at its worst, lurk the dregs of 

loveliness : 
We be fallen into utter depths, yet once we stood sub- 
lime, 
For man was made in perfect praise, his Maker's comely 

image : 
And so his new-born ill is spiced with older good, 
He carrieth with him, yea to crime, the withered limbs 

of beauty. 
Passions may be crooked generosities ; the robber steal- 

eth for his children ; 
Murder was avenger of the innocent, or wiped out shame 

with blood. 
Many virtues, weighted by excess, sink among the 

vices ; 



#f §mttg. 325 

Many vices, amicably buoyed, float among the virtues. 

For, albeit sin is hate, a foul and bitter turpitude, 

As hurling back against the Giver all His gifts with in- 
sult, 

Still when concrete in the sinner, it will seem to partake 
of his attractions, 

And in seductive masquerade shall cloak its leprous 
skin; 

His broken lights of beauty shall illumine its utter 
black, 

And those refracted rays glitter on the hunch of its de- 
formity. 

Eerily the fancy may be false, yet hath it met me in my 

musings, 
(As expounding the pleasantness of pleasure, but no 

ways extenuating licence,) 
That even those yearnings after beauty, in wayward wan- 
ton youth, 
When, guileless of ulterior end, it craveth but to look 

upon the lovely, 
Seem like struggles of the soul, dimly remembering 

pre-existencej 
And feeling in its blindness for a long-lost god, to satisfy 

its longing ; 
As if the sucking babe, tenderly mindful of his mother, 
Should pall a dragon's dugs, and drain the teats of 

poison. 
Our primal source was beauty, and we pant for it ever 

and again ; 
But sin hath stopped the way with thorns; we turn aside, 

wander, and are lost. 



326 <§f §}ta»tg. 

6rod, the undiluted good, is root and stock of beauty, 
And every child of reason drew his essence from that 

stem. 
Therefore, it is of intuition, an innate hankering for 

home, 
A sweet returning to the well, from which our spirit 

flowed, 
That we, unconscious of a cause, should bask these 

darkened souls 
In some poor relics of the light that blazed in primal 

beauty, 
And, even like as exiles of idolatry, should quaff from 

the cisterns of creation 
Stagnant draughts, for those fresh springs that rise in 

the Creator. 

^nly, being burdened with the body, spiritual appetite 

is warped, 
And sensual man, with taste corrupted, drinketh of pol- 
lutions : 
Impulse is left, but indiscriminate ; his hunger feasteth 

upon carrion : 
His natural love of beauty doateth over beauty in decay. 
He still thirsteth for the beautiful ; but his delicate ideal 

hath grown gross, 
And the very sense of thirst hath been fevered from 

affection into passion. 
He remembereth the blessedness of light, but it is with 

an old man's memory, 
A blind old man from infancy, that once hath seen the 

sun, 
Whom long experience of night hath darkened in his 

cradle recollections, 



m §S*mrfg: 327 

Until his brightest thought of noon is hut a shade of 
black. 

Chis then is thy charm, beauty all pervading ; 

And this thy wondrous strength, beauty, conqueror of 
all: 

The outline of our shadowy best, the pure and comely 
creature, 

That winneth on the conscience with a saddening ad- 
miration : 

And some untutored thirst for God, the root of every 
pleasure, 

Native to creatures, yea in ruin, and dating from the 
birthday of the soul. 

For God sealeth up the sum, confirmed exemplar of pro- 
portions, 

Eich in love, full of wisdom, and perfect in the plenitude 
of Beauty. 



3Q8 



23l0l» the trumpet, spread the wing, fling thy scroll upon 

the sky, 
Bouse the slumbering world, Fame, and fill the sphere 

with echo ! 
— Beneath thy blast they wake, and murmurs come 

hoarsely on the wind, 
And flashing eyes and bristling hands proclaim they 

hear thy message : 
Boiling and surging as a sea, that upturned flood of 

faces 
Hasteneth with its million tongues to spread the won- 
drous tale; 
The hum of added voices groweth to the roaring of a 

cataract, 
And rapidly from wave to wave is tossed that exaggerated 

story, 
Until those stunning clamours, gradually diluted in the 

distance, 



®i £nm. 329 

Sink ashamed, and shrink afraid of noise, and die away. 
Then brooding Silence, forth from his hollow caverns, 
Cloaked and cowled, and gliding along, a cold and 

stealthy shadow, 
Once more is mingled with the multitude, whispering as 

he walketh, 
And hushing all their eager ears, to hear some newer 

Fame. 

J^o all is still again ; but nothing of the past hath been 

forgotten ; 
A stirring recollection of the trumpet ringeth in the 

hearts of men : 
And each one, either envious or admiring, hath wished 

the chance were his 
To fill as thus the startled world with fame, or fear, or 

wonder. 
This lit thy torch of sacrilege, Ephesian Eratostra- 

tus; 
This dug thy living grave, Pythagoras, the traveller from 

Hades ; 
For this, dived Empedocles into Etna's fiery whirlpool ; 
For this conquerors, regicides, and rebels, have dared 

their perilous crimes. 
In all men, from the monarch to the menial, lurketh lust 

of fame; 
The savage and the sage alike regard their labours 

proudly : 
Yea, in death, the glazing eye is iUumined by the hope 

of reputation, 
And the stricken warrior is glad, that his wounds are 

salved with glory. 



330 #f <f ante. 

$ot fame is a sweet self-homage, an offering grateful to 
the idol, 

A spiritual nectar for the spiritual thirst, a mental food 
for mind, 

A pregnant evidence to all of an after immaterial exist- 
ence, 

A proof that soul is scathless, when its dwelling is dis- 
solved. 

And the manifold pleasures of fame are sought by the 
guilty and the good : 

Pleasures, various in kind, and spiced to every palate : 

The thoughtful loveth fame as an earnest of better im- 
mortality, 

The industrious and deserving, as a symbol of just ap- 
preciation, 

The selfish, as a promise of advancement, at least to a 
man's own kin, 

And common minds, as a flattering fact that men have 
been told of their existence. 

Chere is a blameless love of fame, springing from desire 

of justice, 
When a man hath featly won and fairly claimed his 

honours : 
And then fame cometh as encouragement to the inward 

consciousness of merit, 
Gladdening by the kindliness and thanks, wherewithal 

his labours are rewarded. 
But there is a sordid imitation, a feverish thirst for 

notoriety, 
Waiting upon vanity and sloth, and utterly regardless of 

deserving : 



#f $umt. 381 

And then fame cometh as a curse; the fire-damp is 

gathered in the mine : 
The soul is swelled with poisonous air, and a spark of 

temptation shall explode it. 

$dle causes, noised awhile, shall yield most active con- 
sequents, 

And therefore it were ill upon occasion to scorn the voice 
of rumour. 

Ye have seen the chemist in his art mingle invisible 
gases, 

And lo, the product is a substance, a heavy dark pre- 
cipitate : 

Even so fame, hurtling on the quiet with many meeting 
tongues, * 

Can out of nothing bring forth fruits, and blossom on a 
nourishment of air. - 

For many have earned honour, and thereby rank and 
riches, 

From false and fleeting tales, some casual mere mis- 
take ; 

And many have been wrecked upon disgrace, and have 
struggled with poverty and scorn, 

From envious hints and ill reports, the slanders cast on 
innocence. 

Whom may not scandal hit ? those shafts are shot at a 
venture : 

Who standeth not in danger of suspicion ? that net hath 
caught the noblest. 

Caesar's wife was spotless, but a martyr to false fame ; 

And Eumour, in temporary things, is gigantic as a ruin 
or a remedy : 



332 #f Jame. 

Many poor and many rich have testified its popular 

omnipotence, 
And many a panic-stricken army hath perished with the 

host of the Assyrians. 

Nevertheless, if opportunity be nought, let a man bide 

his time ; 
So the matter be not merchandize nor conquest, fear 

thou less for character. 
If a liar accuseth thee of evil, be not swift to answer ; 
Yea, rather give him licence for awhile ; it shall help 

thine honour afterward: 
Never yet was calumny engendered, but good men 

speedily discerned it, 
And innocence hath burst from its injustice, as the green 

world rolling out of Chaos. 
What, though still the wicked scoff, — this also turneth 

to his praise ; 
Did ye never hear that censure of the bad is buttress to 

a good man's glory ? 
What, if the ignorant still hold- out, obstinate in unkind 

judgment, — 
Ignorance and calumny are paired ; we affirm by two 

negations : 
Let them stand round about, pushing at the column in 

a circle, 
For all their toil and wasted strength, the foolish do but 

prop it. 
And note thou this ; in the secret of their hearts, they 

feel the taunt is false, 
And cannot help but reverence the courage, that walketh 

amid calumnies unanswering : 



•f $ame. 333 

He standeth as a gallant chief, unheeding shot or shell ; 
He trusted in God his Judge : neither arrows nor the 
pestilence shall harm him, 

& high heart is a sacrifice to Heaven ; should it stoop 

among the creepers in the dust, 
To tell them that what God approved, is worthy of 

their praise ? 
Never shall it heed the thought; but flaming on in 

triumph to the skies, 
And quite forgetting fame, shall find it added as a 

trophy. 
A great mind is an altar on a hill: should the priest 

descend from his altitude, 
To canvass offerings and worship from dwellers on the 

plain ? 
Eather, with majestic perseverance will he minister in 

solitary grandeur, 
Confident the time will come, when pilgrims shall he 

flocking to the shrine. 
For fame is the birthright of genius ; and he recketh not 

how long it be delayed , 
The heir need not hasten to his heritage, when he know- 

eth that his tenure is eternal. 
The careless poet of Avon, was he troubled for his 

fame, 
Or the deep-mouthed chronicler of Paradise, heeded he 

the suffrage of his equals ? 
Maeonides took no thought, committing all his honours 

to the future, 
And Flaccus, standing on his watch-tower, spied the 

praise of ages. 



334 #f Jrofc 

Smoking flax will breed a flame, and the flame may 

illuminate a world ; 
Where is he who scorned that smoke as foul and murky 

vapour ? 
The village stream swelled to a river, and the river was a 

kingdom's wealth, 
Where is he who boasted he could step across that 

stream ? 
Such are the beginnings of the famous: little in the 

judgment of their peers, 
The juster verdict of posterity shall fix them in the orbits 

of the Great. 
Therefore dull Zoilus, clamouring ascendant of the 

hour, 
Will soon be fain to hide his hate, and bury up his bit- 
terness for shame : 
Therefore mocking Momus, offended at the steps of 

Beauty, 
Shall win the prize of his presumption, and be hooted 

from his throne among the stars. 
For, as the shadow of a mountain lengtheneth before the 

setting sun, 
Until that screening Alp have darkened all the canton, — 
So, Fame groweth to its great ones ; their images loom 

longer in departing ; 
But the shadow of mind is light, and earth is filled with 

its glory. 

&nd thou, student of the truth, commended to the praise 

of God, 
Wouldst thou find applause with men ? — seek it not, nor 

shun it. 



®i $nmt. 335 

Ancient fame is roofed in cedar, and her walls are 

marble ; 
Modern fame lodgeth in a hut, a slight and temporary 

dwelling : 
Lay not up the treasures of thy soul within so damp a 

chamber, 
For the moth of detraction shall fret thy robe, and drop 

its eggs upon thy motive ; 
Or the rust of disheartening reserve shall spoil the lustre 

of thy gold, 
Until its burnished beauty shall be dim as tarnished 

brass ; 
Or thieves, breaking through to steal, shall claim thy 

• jewelled thoughts, 
And turn to charge the theft on thee, a pilferer from 

them ! 

Chere is a magnanimity in recklessness of fame, so fame 

be well deserving, 
That rusheth on in fearless might, the conscious sense 

of merit : 
And there is a littleness in jealousy of fame, looking as 

aware of weakness, 
That creepeth cautiously along, afraid that its title will 

be challenged. 
The wild boar, full of beechmast, flingeth him down 

among the brambles : 
Secure in bristly strength, without a watch, he sleepeth : 
But the hare, afraid to feed, croucheth in its own soft 

form ; 
Wakefully with timid eyes, and quivering ears, he lis- 

teneth. 



336 #f J ame. 

Even so, a giant's might is bound up in the soul of 

Genius, 
His neck is strong with confidence, and he goeth tusked 

with power : 
Sturdily he roameth in the forest, or sunneth him in fen 

and field, 
And scareth from his marshy lair a host of fearful 

foes. 
But there is a mimic Talent, whose safety lieth in its 

quickness, 
A timorous thing of doubling guile, that scarce can face 

a friend : 
This one is captious of reproof, provident to snatch oc- 
casion, 
Greedy of applause, and vexed to lose one tittle of the 

glory. 
He is a poor warder of his fame, who is ever on the 

watch to keep it spotless ; 
Such care argueth debility, a garrison relying on its 

sentinel. 
Passive strength shall scorn excuses, patiently waiting 

a reaction, 
He wotteth well that truth is great, and must prevail at 

last; 
But fretful weakness hasteth to explain, anxiously 

dreading prejudice, 
And ignorant that perishable falsehood dieth as a branch 

cut off. 

Purity of motive and nobility of mind shall rarely con- 
descend 

To prove its rights, and prate of wrongs, or evidence its 
worth to others. 



•f $vm. 337 

And it shall be small care to the high and happy con- 
science 

What jealous Mends, or envious foes, or common fools 
may judge. 

Should the lion turn and rend every snarling jackal, 

Or an eagle he stopt in his career to punish the petulance 
of sparrows ? 

Should the palm tree bend his crown to chide the briar 
at his feet, 

Nor kindly help its climbing, if it hope, and be ambi- 
tious ? 

Should the nightingale account it worth her pains to 
vindicate her music, 

Before some sorry finches, that affect to judge of song ? 

No : many an injustice, many a sneer, and slur, 

Is passed aside with noble scorn by lovers of true fame : 

For well they wot that glory ^shall be tinctured good or 
evil, 

By the character of those who give it, as wine is fla- 
voured by the wine-skin : 

So that worthy fame floweth only from a worthy foun- 
tain, 

But from an ill-conditioned troop the best report is 
worthless. 

And if the sensibility of genius count his injuries in 
secret, 

Wisely will he hide the pains a hardened herd would 
mock: 

For the great mind well may be said to note such little- 
ness in brethren, 

The while he is comforted and happy in the firmest as- 
surance of desert. 

z 



338 #f Jfamt. 

Cease awhile, gentle scholar; — seek other thoughts and 

themes ; 
Or dazzling Fame with wildfire light shall lure us on for 

ever. 
For look, all subjects of the mind may range beneath its 

banner, 
And time would fail and patience droop, to count that 

numerous host. 
The mine is deep, and branching wide, — and who can 

work it out ? 
Years of thought would leave untold the boundless topic, 

Fame. 
Every matter in the universe is linked in suchwise unto 

others, 
That a deep full treatise upon one thing might reach to 

the history of all things : 
And before some single thesis had been followed out in 

all its branches, 
The wandering thinker would be lost in the pathless 

forest of existence. 
What were the matter or the spirit, that hath no part in 

Fame? 
Where were the fact irrelevant, or the fancy out of 

place ? 
For the handling of that mighty theme should stretch 

from past to future, 
Catching up the present on its way, as a traveller bur- 
dened with time; 
All manner of men, their deeds, hopes, fortunes, and 

ambitions, 
All manner of events and things, climate, circumstance, 

and custom, 



©f $zm. 339 

Wealth and war, fear and hope, contentment, jealousy, 

devotion, 
Skill and learning, truth, falsehood, knowledge of things 

gone and things to come, 
Pride and praise, honour and dishonour, warnings, en- 
samples, emulations, 
The excellent in virtues, and the reprobate in vice, with 

the cloud of indifferent spectators, — 
Wave on wave with flooding force throng the shoals of 

thought, 
Filling that immeasurable theme, the height and depth 

of Fame. 
With soul unsatisfied and mind dismayed, my feet have 

touched the threshold, 
Fain to pour these flowers and fruits an offering on that 

altar : 
Lo, how vast the temple, — there are clouds within the 

dome ! 
Yet might the huge expanse be filled, with volumes writ 

on Fame. 



2 2 



840 



$6l\\$it is commended of the deaf: — but is that praise 
despised ? 

I trow not : with flattered soul the musician heard him 
gladly. 

Beauty is commended of the blind :— but is that compli- 
ment misliking? 

I trow not : though false and insincere, woman listened 
greedily. 

Vacant Folly talketh high of Learning's deepest rea- 
son : 

Is she hated for her hollowness? — learning held her 
wiser for the nonce 

The worldly and the sensual, to gain some end, did 
homage to religion : 

And the good man gave thanks as for a convert, where 
others saw the hypocrite. 

|?et none of these were cheated at the heart, nor steadily 
believed those flatteries; 



®f Jflatterg. 341 

They feared the core was rotten, while they hoped the 

skin was sound : 
But the fruits have so sweet fragrance, and are verily so 

pleasant to the eyes, 
It were an ungracious disenchantment to find them 

apples of Sodom. 
So they lahoured to think all honest, winking hard with 

"both their eyes ; 
And hushed up every whisper that could prove that 

praise absurd : 
They willingly regard not the infirmities that make such 

worship vain, 
And palliate to their own fond hearts the faults they will 

not see. 
For the idol rejoiceth in his incense, and loveth not to 

shame his suppliants, 
Should he seek to find them false, his honours die with 

theirs : 
An offering is welcome for its own sake, set aside the 

giver, 
And praise is precious to a man, though uttered by the 

parrot or the mocking-bird. 

(Ehe world is full of fools ; and sycophancy liveth on the 
foolish : 

So he groweth great and rich, that fawning supple para- 
site. 

Sometimes he boweth like a reed, cringing to the pom- 
pousness of pride, 

Sometimes he strutteth as a gallant, pampering the fic- 
kleness of vanity : 



%i% ®i JIattog. 

I have known him listen with the humble, enacting 

silent marveller, 
To hear some purse-proud dunce expose his poverty of 

mind; 
I have heard him wrangle with the obstinate, vowing 

that he will not be convinced, 
When some weak youth hath wisely feared tbe chance of 

ill success : 
Now, he will barely be a winner, — to magnify thy 

triumphs afterward ; 
Now, he will hardly be a loser, — but cannot cease to 

wonder at thy skill : 
He laudeth his own worth, that the leader may have 

glory in his follower ; 
He meekly confesseth his unwortbiness, tbat the leader 

may have glory in himself. 
Many wiles hath he, and many modes of catching, 
But every trap is selfishness, and every bait is praise. 

Come, I would forewarn thee and forearm thee; for 

keen are the weapons of his warfare ; 
And, while my soul hath scorned him, I have watched 

his skill from far. 
His thoughts are full of guile, deceitfully combining 

contrarieties, 
And when he doeth battle in a man, he is leagued with 

traitorous Self-love. 
Strange things have I noted, and opposite to common 

fancy ; 
We leave the open surface, and would plumb the secret 

depths. 



<§f <#lattag, 343 

For he will magnify a lover, even to disparaging his 

mistress ; 
So much wisdom, goodness, grace, — and all to be en- 
slaved ? 
Till the Narcissus, self-enamoured, whelmed in floods of 

flattery, 
Is cheated from the constancy and fervency of love by 

friendship's subtle praise. 
Moreover, he will glorify a parent, even to the censure 

of his child, — 
degenerate scion, of a stock so excellent and 

noble ! 
Scant will he be in well earned praise of a son before his 

father ; 
And rarely commendeth to a mother her daughter's 

budding beauty : 
Yet shall he extol the daughter to her father, and be 

warm about the son before his mother ; 
Knowing that self-love entereth not, to resist applause 

with jealousies. 
Wisely is he sparing of hyperbole where vehemence of 

praise would humble, 
For many a father liketh ill to be counted second to his 

son: 
And shrewdly the flatterer hath reckoned on a self still 

lurking in the mother, 
When his tongue was slow to speak of graces in the 

daughter. 
But if he descend a generation, to the grandsire his talk 

is of the grandson, 
Because in such high praise he hideth the honours of 

the son ; 



344 ®i Jkitog. 

And the daughter of a daughter may well exceed, in 

beauty, love, and learning, 
For unconsciously old age perceived — she cannot be my 

rival. 
These are of the deep things of flattery: and many a 

shallow sycophant 
Hath marvelled ill that praise of children seldom won 

their parents. 
This therefore note, unto detection : flattery can sneer as 

well as smile ; 
And a master in the craft wotteth well, that his oblique 

thrust is surest. 

Jflattery sticketh like a burr, holding to the soil with 

anchors, 
A vital, natural, subtle seed, everywhere hardy and in- 
digenous. 
Go to the storehouse of thy memory, and take what is 

readiest to thy hand, — 
The noble deed, the clever phrase, for which thy pride 

was flattered : 
Oh, it hath been dwelt upon in solitude, and comforted 

thy heart in crowds, 
It hath made thee walk as in a dream, and lifted up the 

head above thy fellows ; 
It hath compensated months of gloom, that minute of 

sweet sunshine, 
Drying up the pools of apathy, and kindling the fire of 

ambition : 
Yea, the flavour of that spice, mingled in the cup of 

life, 
Shall linger even to the dregs, and still be tasted with a 

welcome 



•f JIattos. 345 

The dame shall tell her grandchild of her coy and 

courted youth, 
And the grey heard prateth of a stranger, who praised his 

task at school. 

(Sfttimes to the sluggard and the dull, flattery hath done 

good service, 
Quickening the mind to emulation, and encouraging the 

heart that failed. 
Even so, a stimulating poison, wisely tendered hy the 

leech, 
Shall speed the pulse, and rally life, and cheat astonished 

death. 
For, as a timid swimmer ventureth afloat with hi ad- 
ders, 
Until self-confidence and growth of skill have made him 

spurn their aid, 
Thus commendation may he prudent, where a child hath 

ill deserved it ; 
But praise unmerited is flattery, and the cure will hring 

its cares : 
For thy son may find thee out, and thou shalt rue the 

remedy : 
Yea, rather, where thou canst not praise, he honest in 

rebuke. 

3E have seen the ohjects of a flatterer mirrored clearly on 

the surface, 
Where self-love scattereth praise, to gather praise 

again. 
This is a commodity of merchandize, words put out at 

interest : 



346 ®f J Iattetg. 

A scheme for canvassing opinions, and tinging them all 

with partiality. 
He is but a harmless fool ; humour him with pitiful 

good-nature : 
If a poetaster quote thy song, be thou tender to his 

poem: 
Did the painter praise thy sketch ? be kind, commend 

his picture ; 
He looketh for a like return ; then thank him with thy 

praise. 
In these small things with these small minds count thou 

the sycophant a courtier, 
And pay back, as blindly as ye may, the too transparent 

honour. 

^Jlso, where the flattery is delicate, coming unobtrusive 
and in season, 

Though thou be suspicious of its truth, be generous at 
least to its gentility. 

The skilful thief of Lacedaemon had praise before his 
judges, 

And many caitiffs win applause for genius in their 
callings. 

Moreover, his meaning may be kind, — and thou art a 
debtor to his tongue ; 

Hasten well to pay the debt, with charity and shrewd- 
ness : 

He must not think thee caught, nor feel himself dis- 
covered, 

Nor find thine answering compliment as hollow as his 
own. 

Though he be a smiling enemy, let him heed thee as the 
fearless and the friendly; 



A searching look, a poignant word, may prove thou art 

aware : 
Still, with compassion to the frail, though keen to see 

his soul, 
Let him not fear for thy discretion, see thou keep his 

secret, and thine own. 

however, where the flattery is gross, a falsehood clear 
and fulsome, 

Crush the venomous toad, and spare not for a jewel in 
his head. 

Tell the presumptuous in flattery, that or ever he he- 
spatter thee with praise, 

It might he well to stop and ask how little it were 
worth : 

Thou hast not solicited his suffrage, — let him not force 
thee to refuse it ; 

Look to it, man, thy fence is foiled, — and thus we spoil 
the plot. 

Self-knowledge goeth armed, girt with many weapons, 

And carrieth whips for flattery, to lash it like a slave : 

But the dunce in that great science goeth as a greedy 
tunny, 

To gorge hoth "bait and hook, unheeding all hut ap- 
petite : 

He smelleth praise and swalloweth, — yea, though it he 
palpahle and plain, 

Say unto him, Folly thou art Wisdom, — he will loless 
thee for thy lie. 

jflatterer, thou shalt rue thy trade, though it have many 
present gains ; 



348 m JIattog. 

Those varnished wares may sell apace, yet shall they 

spoil thy credit. 
Thine is the intoxicating cup, which whoso drinketh it 

shall nauseate : 
Thine is trickery and cheating; but deception never 

pleased for long. 
And though while fresh thy fragrance seemed even as 

the dews of charity, 
Yet afterwards it fouled thy censer, as with savour of 

stale smoke. 
For the great mind detected thee at once, answering 

thine emptiness with pity, 
He saw thy self-interested zeal, and was not cozened by 

vain- glory : 
And the little mind is bloated with the praise, scorning 

him who gave it, 
A fool shall turn to be thy tyrant, an thou hast dubbed 

him great : 
And the medium mind of common men, loving first thy 

music, 
After, when the harmonies are done, shall feel small 

comfort in their echoes ; 
For either he shall know thee false, conscious of con- 
trary deservings, 
And, hating thee for falsehood, soon will scorn himself 

for truth, 
Or, if in aught to toilsome merit honest praise be 

due, 
Though for a season, belike, his weakness hath been 

raptured at thy witcliing, 
Shall he not speedily perceive, to the vexing of his dis- 
appointed spirit, 



•f ihttztg. 349 

That thine exaggerated tongue hath robbed him of fair 

fame? 
Thou hast paid in forger s coins, and he had earned true 

money : 
For the substance of just praise, thou hast put him off 

with shadows of the sycophant : 
Thou art all things to all men, for ends false and 

selfish, 
Therefore shalt be nothing unto any one, when those 

thine ends are seen. 

SEurn aside, young scholar, turn from the song of 
Flattery ! 

She hath the Siren's musical voice, to ravish and be- 
tray. 

Her tongue droppeth honey, but it is the honey of 
Anticyra ; 

Her face is a mask of fascination, but there hideth de- 
formity behind ; 

Her coming is the presence of a queen, heralded by 
courtesy and beauty, 

But, going away, her train is held by the hideous dwarf, 
Disgust. 

Stnow thyself, thine evil as thy good, and flattery shall 

not harm thee : 
Yea, her speech shall be a warning, a humbling and a 

guide. 
For wherein thou lackest most, there chiefly will the 

sycophant commend thee, 
And then most warmly will congratulate, when a man 

hath least deserved. 



350 ®i ^tettog. 

Behold, she is doubly a traitor ; and will underrate her 

victim's "best, 
That, to the comforting of conscience, she may plead 

his worse for hetter. 

therefore, is she dangerous — as every lie is dangerous : 
Believe her tales, and perish: if thou act upon such 

counsel. 
Her aims are thine not thee, thy wealth and not thy 

welfare, 
Thy suffrage not thy safety, thine aid and not thine 

honour. 
Moreover, with those aims insured, ceaseth all her gloz- 

ing; 
She hath used thee as a handle, — but her hand was wise 

to turn it : 
Thus will she glorify her skill, that it deftly caught thy 

kindness, 
Thus will she scorn thy kindness, so pliable and easy to 

her skill. 
And then, the flatterer will turn to be thy foe, the 

bitterest and hottest, 
Because he oweth thee much hate to pay off many 

hum brings. 
Thinkest thou now that he is high, he loveth the re 

membrance of his lowliness, 
The servile manner, the dependent smile, the conscience 

self-abased ? 
No, this hour is his own, and the flatterer will be found 

a busy mocker ; 
He that hath salved thee with his tongue, shall now 

gnash upon thee with his teeth, 



®f <f fating. 351 

Yea, he will be leader in the laugh, — silly one, to listen 

to thy loss, 
We scarce had hoped to lime and take another of the 

fools of flattery. 

&t the last; have charity, young scholar, — yea, to the 
sycophant convicted ; 

Be not a Brutus to thyself, nor stern in thine own 
cause. 

Pardon exaggerated praise ; for there is a natural im- 
pulse, 

Spurring on the nobler mind, to colour facts by feel- 
ings: 

Take an indulgent view of each man's interest in 
self, 

Be large and liberal in excuses ; is not that infirmity 
thine own ? 

Search thy soul and be humble ; and mercy abideth with 
humility ; 

So that, yea, the insincere may find thee pitiful, and love 
thee. 

Mildly put aside, without rudeness of repulse, the pam- 
pering hand of flattery, 

For courtesy and kindness have gone beneath its guise, 
and ill shouldst thou rebuke them. 

Chou art incapable of theft : but flowers in the garden 
of a friend 

Are thine to pluck with confidence, and it were unfriend- 
liness to hesitate : 

Thou abhorrest flattery: but a generous excess in 
praise 



352 ®i Jlatttrg* 

Is tliine to yield with honest heart, and false were the 

charity to douht it : 
The difference lieth in thine aim; kindliness and good 

are of charity, 
But selfish, harmful, vile, and had, is Flattery's evil 

end. 



353 



m S*ftei 



Gx2tltX8U& and righteous is thy grief, slighted child of 
sensibility; 

For kindliness enkindleth love, hut the waters of indif- 
ference quench it : 

Thy soul is athirst for sympathy, and hungereth to find 
affection, 

The tender scions of thy heart yearn for the sunshine of 
good feeling ; 

And it is an evil thing and bitter, when the cheerful face 
of Charity, 

Going forth gaily in the morning to woo the world with 
smiles, 

Is met by those wayfaring men with coldness, suspicion, 
and repulse, 

And turneth into hard dead stone at the Gorgon visage 
of Neglect. 

brother, warm and young, covetous of others* fa- 
vour, 

A A 



354 ®{ Jkjjitti. 

I see thee checked and chilled, sorrowing for censure or 
forgetfulness : 

Let coarse and common minds despise — that wounding 
of thy vanity, 

Alas, I note a sorer cause, the "blighting of thy love ; 

Let the callous sensual deride thee, — disappointed of thy 
praise, 

Alas, thou hast a juster grief, defrauded of their kind- 
ness : 

It is a theme for tears to feel the soft heart harden- 
ing, 

The frozen breath of apathy sealing up the fountain of 
affection ; 

It is a pang, keen only to the best, to be injured well- 
deserving, 

And slumbering Neglect is injury, — Could ye not watch 
one hour ? 

When God Himself complained, it was that none re- 
garded, 

And indifference bowed to the rebuke, Thou gavest Me 
no kiss when I came in. 

Moreover, praise is good; honour is a treasure to be 

hoarded ; 
A good man's praise foreshadoweth God's, and in His 

smile is heaven : 
But men walk on in hardihood, steeling their sinfulness 

to censure, 
And when rebuke is ridiculed, the love of praise were 

an infirmity ; 
The judge thou heedest not in fear, cannot have deep 

homage of thy hope, 



<§f $kglat. 355 

And who then is the wise of this world, that will own he 
tremble th at his fellows ? 

Calm, careless, and insensible, he mocketh blame or 
calumny, 

Neither should Ms dignity be humbled to some pittance 
of their praise : 

The rather, let false pride affect to trample on the trea- 
sure 

Which evermore in secret strength unconquered Nature 
prizeth ; 

Eather, shall he stifle now the rising bliss of triumph, 

Lest after, in the world's Neglect, he must acknowledge 
bitterness. 

jfor lo, that world is wide, a huge and crowded conti- 
nent, 

Its brazen sun is mammon, and its iron soil is care : 

A world full of men, where each man clingeth to his 
idol ; 

A world fall of men, where each man cherisheth his 
sorrow ; 

A. world full of men, multitude shoaling upon multi- 
tude ; 

A surging sea, where every wave is burdened with an 
argosy of self; 

A boundless beach, where every stone is a separate mi- 
croscopic world : 

A forest of innumerable trees, where every root is inde- 
pendent. 

(EUhat then is the marvel or the shame, if units be lost 
among the million ? 

A A 2 



356 ®f $egkci. 

Canst thou reasonably murmur, if a leaf drop off un- 
noticed ? 

Wondrous in architecture, intricate and beautiful, deli- 
cately tinged and scented, 

Exquisite of feeling and mysterious in life, none cared 
for its growth, or its decay. 

None? yea, — no one of its fellows, — nor cedar, palm, 
nor bramble, — 

None ? its twinborn brother scarcely missed it from the 
spray: 

None ? — if none indeed, then man's neglect were bitter- 
ness ; 

And Life a land without a sun, a globe without a God ! 

Yea, flowers in the desert, there be that love your beauty; 

Yea, jewels in the sea, there be that prize your bright- 
ness; 

Children of unmerited oblivion, there be that watch and 
woo you, 

And many tend your sweets, with gentle ministering 
care : 

Thronging spirits of the happy, and the everpresent 
Good One 

Yearning seek those precious things, man hath not heart 
to love, 

Gems of the humblest or the highest, pure and patient 
in their kind, 

The souls unhardened by ill usage, and uncorrupt by 
luxury. 

&nd ye, poor desolates unsunned, toilers in the dark 

damp mine, 
Wearied daughters of oppression, crushed beneath the 

car of avarice, 



•f SCegkct. 357 

There be that count your tears, — He hath numbered the 

hairs of thy head, — 
There be that can forgive your ill, with kind considerate 

pity: 
Count ye this for comfort, Justice hath her balances, 
And yet another world can compensate for all : 
The daily martyrdom of patience shall not be wanting of 

reward ; 
Duty is a prickly shrub, but its flower will be happiness 

and glory. 

|?e too, the friendless, yet dependent, that find nor home 
nor lover, 

Sad imprisoned hearts, captive to the net of circum- 
stance, — 

And ye, too harshly judged, noble unappreciated intel- 
lects, 

Who, capable of highest, lowlier fix. your just ambition 
in content, — 

And chiefest, ye, famished infants of the poor, toiling 
for your parents' bread, 

Tired, and sore, and uncomforted the while, for want of 
love and learning, 

Who struggle with the pitiless machine in dull continu- 
ous conflict, 

Tasked by iron men, who care for nothing but your 
labour, — 

Be ye long-suffering and courageous : abide the will of 
Heaven ; 

God is on your side; all things are tenderly remem- 
bered : 

His servants here shall help you ; and where those fail 
you through Neglect, 



858 ®i gkglrtf. 

His kingdom still hath time and space for ample discri- 
minative Justice : 

Yea, though utterly on this bad earth ye lose both right 
and mercy, 

The tears that we forgat to note, our God shall wipe 
away. 

Nevertheless, kind spirit, susceptible and guileless, 
Meek uncherished dove, in a carrion flock of fowls, 
Sensitive mimosa, shrinking from the winds that help to 

root the fir, 
Fragile nautilus, shipwrecked in the gale whereat the 

conch is glad, 
Thy sharp peculiar grief is uncomforted by hope of com- 
pensation, 
For it is a delicate and spiritual wound, which the probe 

of pity bruiseth : 
Yet hear how many thoughts extenuate its pain ; 
Even while a kindred heart can sorrow for its presence. 
For the sting of neglect is in this, — that such as we are 

all, forget us, 
That men and women, kith and kin, so lightly heed of 

other : 
Sympathy is lacking from the guilty such as we, even 

where angels minister, 
And souls of fine accord must prize a fellow-sinner's 

love; 
For the worst love those who love them, and the best 

claim heart for heart, 
And it is a holy thirst to long for love's requital : 
Hard it will be, hard and sad, to love and be unloved ; 
And many a thorn is thrust into the side of him that is 

forgotten. 



®i DCeglwt. 359 

The oppressive silence of reserve, the frost of failing 

friendship, 
Affection blighted by repulse, or chilled by shallow 

courtesy, 
The unaided struggle, the unconsidered grief, the unes- 

teemed self-sacrifice, 
The gift, dear evidence of kindness, long due, but never 

offered, 
The glance estranged, the letter flung aside, the greeting 

ill received, 
The services of unobtrusive care unthanked, perchance 

unheeded, 
These things, which hard men mock at, rend the feelings 

of the tender, 
For the delicate tissue of a spiritual mind is torn by 

those sharp barbs ; 
The coldness of a trusted friend, a plenitude ending in 

vacuity, 
Is as if the stable world had burst a hollow bubble. 

33 ut consider, child of sensibility; the lot of men is 
labour, 

Labour for the mouth, or labour in the spirit, labour 
stern and individual, 

Worldly cares and worldly hopes exact the thoughts of 
all, 

And there is a necessary selfishness, rooted in each 
mortal breast. 

The plans of prudence, or the whisperings of pride, or 
all-absorbing reveries of love, 

Ambition, grief, or fear, or joy, set each man for him- 
self; 



360 ®{ Skglwt 

Therefore, the centre of a cycle, whereunto all the uni- 
verse convergeth, 
Is seen in fallen solitude, the naked selfish heart : 
Stripped of conventional deceptions, untrammelled from 

the harness of society, 
We all may read one little word engraved on all we 

do; 
Other men, what are they unto us ? the age, the mass, 

the million, — 
We segregate, distinct from generalities, that isolated 

particle, a self : 
It is the very law of our life, a law for soul and hody, 
An earthly law for earthly men, toiling in responsible 

probation. 
For each is the all unto himself, disguise it as we may, 
Each infinite, each most precious; yet even as a nothing 

to his neighbour. 
O consider, we be crowding up an avenue, trapped in 

the decoy of time, 
Behind us the irrevocable past, before us the illimitable 

future : 
What wonder is there, if the traveller, wayworn, hopeful, 

fearful, 
Burdened himself, so lightly heed the burden of his 

brother ? 
How shouldst thou marvel and be sad, that the pilgrims 

trouble not to learn thee, 
When each hath to master for himself the lessons of life 

and immortality ? 

Moreover, what art thou, — so vainly impatient of 

Neglect, 



m Select. 361 

Where then is thy worthiness, that so thou claimest 

honour ? 
Let the true judgment of humility reckon up thine ill 

deserts, 
How little is there to he loved, how much to stir up 

scorn! 
The douhle heart, the hitter tongue, the rash and erring 

spirit, 
Be these, ye purest among men, your passports unto 

favour ? 
It is mercy in the Merciful, and justice in the Just, to 

he jealous of His creature's love, 
But how should evil or duplicity arrogate affection to 

itself? 
Where love is happiness and duty, to he jealous of that 

love is godlike, 
But who can reverence the guilty? who findeth pleasure 

in the mean ? 
Check the presumption of thy hopes : thankfully take 

refuge in ohscurity, 
Or, if thou claimest merit, thy sin shall he proclaimed 

upon the housetops. 

|9et again : consider them of old, the good, the great, 

the learned, 
Who have hlessed the world hy wisdom, and glorified 

their God hy purity. 
Did those speed in favour ? were they the loved and the 

admired ? 
Was every prophet had in honour ? and every deserving 

one remembered to his praise ? 
What shall I say of yonder hand, a glorious cloud of 

witnesses, 



362 <§f Ifegltrf. 

The scorned, defamed, insulted, — but the excellent of 

earth? 
It were weariness to count up noble names, neglected in 

their lives, 
Whom none esteemed, nor cared to love, till death had 

sealed them his. 
Eor good men are the health of the world, valued only 

when it perish eth, 
Like water, light, and air, all precious in their absence. 
Who hath considered the blessing of his breath, till the 

poison of an asthma struck him ? 
Who hath regarded the just pulses of his heart, till 

spasm or paralysis have stopped them ? 
Even thus, an unobserved routine of daily grace and 

wisdom, 
When no more here, had worship of a world, whose 

penitence atoned for its neglect. 
And living genius is seen among infirmities, wherefrom 

the commoner are free ; 
And other rival men of mind crowd this arena of con- 
tention ; 
And there be many cares ; and a man knoweth little of 

his brother ; 
Feebly we appreciate a motive, and slowly keep pace 

with a feeling : 
And social difference is much ; and experience teacheth 



How great the treachery of Mends, how dangerous the 

courtesy of enemies. 
So, the sum of all these things operateth largely upon 

all men, 
Hedging us about with thorns, to cramp our yearning 

sympathies, 



®f JCeglttt 363 

And we grow materialized in mind, forgetting what we 
see not, 

"But, immersed in perceptions of the present, keep things 
absent out of thought : 

Thus, where ingratitude, and guilt, and labour, and sel- 
fishness would harden, 

Humbly will the good man bow, unmurmuring., to 
Neglect. 

get once more, griever at Neglect, hear me to thy com- 
fort, or rebuke : 

For, after all thy just complaint, the world is full of 
love. 

heart of childhood, tender, trusting, and affectionate, 

youth, warm youth, full of generous attentions, 

woman, self-forgetting woman, poetry of human life, 

And not less thou, man, so often the disinterested 
brother, 

Many a smile of love, many a tear of pity, 

Many a word of comfort, many a deed of magnani- 
mity, 

Many a stream of milk and honey pour ye freely on the 
earth, 

And many a rosebud of love rejoiceth in the dew of your 
affection. 

Neglect ? liberal world, for thine are many prizes : 

Neglect ? charitable world, where thousands feed on 
bounty ; 

Neglect ? just world, for thy judgments err not 
often ; 

Neglect? libel on a world where half that world is 
woman ! 



364 ®i gtgUrf. 

Where is the afflicted, whose voice, once heard, stirreth 

not a host of comforters ? 
Where is the sick untended, or in prison, and they 

visited him not ? 
The hungry is fed, and the thirsty satisfied, till ability 

set limits to the will, 
And those who did it unto them, have done it unto God ! 
For human benevolence is large, though many matters 

dwarf it, 
Prudence, ignorance, imposture, and the straitenings of 

circumstance and time. 
And if to the body, so to the mind, the mass of men are 

generous ; 
Their estimate, who know us best, is seldom seen to 

err ; 
Be sure the fault is thine, as pride, or shallowness, or 

vanity, 
If all around thee, good and bad, neglect thy seeming 

merit : 
No man yet deserved, who found not some to love him ; 
And he, that never kept a Mend, need only blame him- 
self: 
Many for unworthiness will droop and die, but all are 

not unworthy ; 
It must indeed be cold clay soil, that killeth every seed. 
Therefore, examine thy state, self-accounted martyr of 

Neglect, 
It may be, thy merit is a cubit, and thy measure thereof 

a furlong ; 
But grant it greater than thy thoughts, and grant that 

men thy fellows, 
For pleasure, business, or interest, misuse, forget, neg- 
lect thee, — 



Gi m$htl 365 

Still be thou conqueror in this, the consciousness of high 

deservings ; 
Let it suffice thee to be worthy ; faint not thou for 

praise ; 
For that thou art. be grateful; go humbly even in thy 

confidence ; 
And set thy foot upon the neck of an enemy so harmless 

as Neglect, 



366 



if Ctmtmtttmt 



&0frlttt£££ with Contentment, — these be the pillars of 

felicity, 
Jachin, wherewithal it is established, and Boaz, in the 

which is strength : 
And upon their capitals is lily-work, the lotus fruit and 

flower, 
Those fair and fragrant types of holiness, innocence, 

and beauty ; 
Great gain pertaineth to the pillars, nets and chains of 

wreathen gold, 
And they stand up straight in the temple porch, the 

house where Glory dwelleth. 

Che body craveth meats, and the spirit is athirst for 

peacefulness, 
He that hath these, hath enough; for all beyond is 

vanity, 



<Sf Contentment. 367 

Surfeit vaulteth over pleasure, to light upon the hither 

side of pain : 
And great store is great care, the rather if it mightily 

increaseth. 
Albeit too little is a trouble, yet too much shall swell 

into an evil, 
If wisdom stand not nigh to moderate the wishes : 
For covetousness never had enough, but moaneth at its 

wants for ever, 
And rich men have commonly more need to be taught 

contentment than the poor. 
That hungry chasm in their market-place gapeth still 

unsatisfied, 
Yea, fling in all the wealth of Eome, — it asketh higher 

victims ; 
So, when the miser's gold cannot fill the measure of his 

lust, 
Curtius must leap into the pit, and avarice shall close 

upon his life. 

JJehold Independence in his rags, all too easily con- 
tented, 

Careful for nothing, thankful for much, and uncomplain- 
ing in his poverty : 

Such an one have I somewhile seen earn his crust with 
gladness ; 

He is a gatherer of simples, culling wild herbs upon the 
hills; 

And now, as he sitteth on the beach, with his motherless 
child beside him, 

To rest them in the cheerful sun, and sort their mints 
and horehound, — 



368 ©f €onkxdmmL 

Tell me, can ye find upon his forehead the cloud of 

covetous anxiety, 
Or note the dull unkindled eyes of sated sons of 

pleasure ? — 
For there is more joy of life with that poor picker of the 

ditches, 
Than among the multitude of wealthy who wed their 

gains to discontent. 

$ have seen many rich, burdened with the fear of 
poverty, 

I have seen many poor, buoyed with all the carelessness 
of wealth : 

For the rich had the spirit of a pauper, and the money- 
less a liberal heart ; 

The first enjoy eth not for having, and the latter hath no- 
thing but enjoyment. 

None is poor but the mean in mind, the timorous, the 
weak, and unbelieving ; 

None is wealthy but the affluent in soul, who is satisfied 
and floweth over. 

The poor-rich is attenuate for fears, the rich-poor is 
fattened upon hopes ; 

Cheerfulness is one man's welcome, and the other 
warneth from him by his gloom. 

Many poor have the pleasures of the rich, even in their 
own possessions ; 

And many rich miss the poor man's comforts, and yet 
feel all his cares. 

Liberty is affluence, and the Helots of anxiety never can 

be counted wealthy ; 
, But he that is disenthralled from fear, goeth for the time 
a king ; 



@f €onhntmmt 369 

He is royal, great, and opulent, living free of fortune, 

And looking on the world as owner of its good, the 
Maker's child and heir : 

Whereas, the covetous is slavish, a very Midas in his 
avarice, 

Full of dismal dreams, and starved amongst his trea- 
sures : 

The ceaseless spur of discontent goaded him with instant 
apprehension, 

And his thirst for gold could never be quenched, for he 
drank with the throat of Crassus. 

Canity, and dreary disappointment, care, and weariness, 

and envy ; 
Vanity is graven upon all things; wisely spake the 

preacher. 
For ambition is a burning mountain, thrown up amid 

the turbid sea, 
A Stromboli in sullen pride above the hissing waves ; 
And the statesman climbing there, forgetful of his patriot 

intentions, 
Shall hate the strife of each rough step, or ever he hath 

toiled midway : 
iVnd every truant from his home, the happy home of 

duty, 
Shall live to loathe his eminence of cares, that seething 

smoke and lava. 
Contentment is the temperate repast, flowing with milk 

and honey : 
Ambition is the drunken orgy, fed by liquid flames : 
A black and bitter frown is stamped upon the forehead 

of Ambition, 



370 df Contentment. 

But fair Contentment's angel-face is rayed with winning 
smiles. 

Chere was in Tyre a merchant, the favourite child of 

fortune, 
An opulent man with many ships, to trade in many 

climes ; 
And he rose up early to his merchandize, after feverish 

dreaming, 
And lay down late to his hot unrest, overwhelmed with 

calculated cares. 
So, day hy day, and month "by month, and year hy year, 

4 he gained ; 
And grew grey, and waxed great ; for money brought 

him all things. 
All things? — verily, not all; the kernel of the nut is 

lacking,— 
His mind was a stranger to content, and as for Peace, 

he knew her not : 
Luxuries palled upon his palate, and his eyes were sa- 
tiate with purple ; 
He could coin much gold, hut buy no happiness with 

it. 
And on a day, a day of dread, in the heat of inordinate 

ambition, 
When he threw with a gambler's hand, to lose or to 

double his possessions, 
The chance hit him, — he had speculated ill, — and men 

began to whisper ; — 
Those he trusted, failed ; and their usuries had bribed 

him deeply ; 
One ship foundered out at sea, — and another met the 

pirate, — 



m &Qnhxdmznt 371 

And so, with broken fortunes, men discreetly shunned 
him. 

He was a stricken stag, and went to hide away in soli- 
tude, 

And there in humility, he thought, — he resolved, and 
promptly acted : 

From the wreck of all his splendours, from the dregs of 
the goblet of affluence, 

He saved with management a morsel and a drop, for his 
daily cup and platter : 

And lo, that little was enough, and in enough was com- 
petence ; 

His cares were gone, — he slept by night, and lived at 
peace by day ; 

Cured of his guilty selfishness, — money's love, envy, 
competition, — 

He lived to be thankful in a cottage that he had lost a 
palace : 

For he found in his abasement, what he vainly had 
sought in high estate, 

Both mind and body well at ease, though robed in the 
russet of the lowly. 

®nce more, a certain priest, happy in his high 

vocation, 
With faith, and hope, and charity, well served his village 

altar ; 
As men count riches he was poor ; but great were his 

treasures in heaven, 
And great his joys on earth, for God's sake doing 

good : 
He had few cares and many consolations, one of the 

welcome everywhere ; b b 2 



372 #f €axttzntmznt 

The labourer accounted him his Mend, and magnates 

did him honour at their table : 
With a large heart and little means he still made many 

grateful, 
And felt as the centre of a circle, of comfort, calmness, 

and content. 
But, on a weaker sabbath, — for he preached both well 

and wisely, — 
Some casual hearer loudly praised his great neglected 

talents : 
Why should he be. buried in obscurity, and throw these 

pearls to swine ? 
Could he not still be doing good, — the whilst he pushed 

his fortunes ? 
Then came temptation, even on the spark of discontent ; 
The neighbouring town had a pulpit to be filled ; hotly 

did he canvass, and won it : 
Now was he popular and courted, and listened to the 

spell of admiration, 
And toiled to please the taste, rather than to pierce the 

conscience. 
Greedily he sought, and seeking found, the patronizing 

notice of the great ; 
He thirsted for emoluments and honours, and counted 

rich men happy: 
So he flattered, so he preached; and gold and fame 

flowed in ; 
They flowed in,- — he was reaping his reward, and felt 

himself a fool. 
Alas, what a shadow was he following, — how precious 

was the substance he had left ! 
Man for God, gold for good, this was his miserable 

bargain. 



#f ttontmimmt 373 

The village church, its humble flock, aud humbler 

parish priest, 
Zeal, devotion, and approving Heaven, — his books, and 

simple life, 
His little farm and flower-beds, — his recreative rambles 

with a friend, 
And haply, at eventide, the leaping trouts, to help their 

humble fare, 
All these wretchedly exchanged for what the world 

called fortune, 
With the harrowing conscience of a state relapsed to 

vain ambitions. 
Then, — for God was gracious to his soul, — his better 

thoughts returned, 
And better aims with better thoughts, his holy walk of 

old. 
Sickened of style, and ostentation, and the dissipative 

fashions of society, 
He deserted from the ranks of Mammon, and renewed 

his allegiance to God : 
For he found that the praises of men, and all that gold 

can give, 
Are not worthy to be named, against godliness and calm 

contentment. 



374 



if fife. 



& ifyiXtS was playing in a garden, a merry little child, 

Bounding with triumphant health, and full of happy 
fancies; 

His kite was floating in the sunshine, — hut he tied the 
string to a twig 

And ran among the roses to catch a new-horn butterfly ; 

His horn-book lay upon a bank, but the pretty truant 
hid it, 

Buried up in gathered grass, and moss, and sweet wild- 
thyme ; 

He launched a paper boat upon the fountain, then 
wayward turned aside, 

To twine some fragrant jessamines about the dripping 
marble : 

So, in various pastime shadowing the schemes of man- 
hood, 

That curly-headed boy consumed the golden hours : 



•f fife. 375 

And I blessed his glowing face, envying the merry little 

child, 
As he shouted with the ecstasy of being, clapping his 

hands for joyfulness : 
For I said, Surely, Life, thy name is happiness and 

hope, 
Thy days are bright, thy flowers are sweet, and pleasure 

the condition of thy gift. 

& youth was walking in the moonlight, walking not 
alone, 

For a fair and gentle maid leant on his trembling arm : 

Their whispering was still of beauty, and the light of 
love was in their eyes, 

Their twin young hearts had not a thought unvowed to 
love and beauty : 

The stars and the sleeping world, and the guardian eye 
of God, 

The murmur of the distant waterfall, and nightingales 
warbling in the thicket, 

Sweet speech of years to come, and promises of fondest 
hope, 

And more, a present gladness in each other's trust, 

All these fed their souls with the hidden manna of affec- 
tion, 

While their faces shone beatified in the radiance of re- 
flected Eden : 

I gazed on that fond youth, and coveted his heart, 

Attuned to holiest symphonies, with music in its strings: 

For I said, Surely, Life, thy name is love and 
beauty, 



376 #f fife. 

Thy joys axe full, thy looks most fair, thy feelings pure 
and sensitive. 

& man sat beside his merchandize, a careworn altered 
man, 

His waking hope, his nightly fear, were money, and its 
losses : 

Earely was the laugh upon his cheek, except in hitter 
scorn 

For his foolishness of heart, and the lie of its romance, 
counting Love a treasure. 

His talk is of stern Eeality, chilling unimaginative 
facts, 

The dull material accidents of this sensual body ; 

Lucreless honour were contemptible, impoverished affec- 
tion but a pauper's riches, 

Duty, struggling unrewarded, the bargain of a cheated 
fool: 

The market value of a fancy must be measured by the 
gain it bringeth, 

No man is fed or clothed by fame, or love, or duty : — 

So toiled he day by day, that cold and joyless man, 

I gazed upon his haggard face, and sorrowed for the 
change : 

For I said, Surely, Life, thy name is care and weari- 
ness, 

Thy soil is parched, thy winds are fierce, and the suns 
above thee hardening. 

% withered elder lay upon his bed, a desolate man and 
feeble : 



<§f fife. 377 

His thoughts were of the past, the early past, the bye 

gone days of youth : 
Bitterly repented he the years stolen by the god of this 

world : 
Eemembering the maiden of his love, and the heart- 
stricken wife of his selfishness. 
For the sunshiny morning of his life came again to him a 

vivid truth, 
But the years of toil as a long dim dream, a cloudy 

blighted noon : 
He saw the nutting schoolboy, but forgat the speculative 

merchant ; 
The callous calculating husband was shamed by the 

generous lover : 
He knew that the weeds of worldliness, and the smoky 

breath of Mammon 
Had choked and killed those tender shoots, his yearnings 

after honour and affection ; 
So was he sick at heart, and my pity strove to cheer him, 
But a deep and dismal gulph lay between comfort and 

his soul. 
Then 1 said, Surely, O Life, thy name is vanity and 

sorrow, 
Thy storms at noon are many, and thine eventide is 

clouded by remorse. 

$ow, when I thought upon these things, my heart was 

grieved within me : 
I wept, with bitterness of speech, and these were the 

words of my complaining : 
" Wherefore then must happiness and love wither into 

care and vanity, — 



378 m fife. 

Wherefore is the bud so beautiful, but flower arid fruit 

so blighted ? 
Hard is the lot of man ; to be lured by the meteor of 

romance, 
Only to be snared, and to sink, in the turbid mudpool 

of reality." 

Suddenly, a light, — and a rushing presence, — and a 

consciousness of Something near me, — 
I trembled, and listened, and prayed : then I knew the 

Angel of Life : 
Vague, and dimly visible, mine eye could not behold 

Him, 
As, calmly unimpassioned, He looked upon an erring 

creature ; 
Unseen, my spirit apprehended Him ; though He spake 

not, yet I heard : 
For a sympathetic communing with Him flashed upon 

my mind electric. 

Pensioner of God, be grateful; the gift of Life is good : 

The life of heart, and life of soul, mingled with life for 
the body. 

Gladness and beauty are its just inheritance, — the beauty 
thou hast counted for romance . 

And guardian spirits weep that selfishness and sorrow 
should destroy it. 

Thou hast seen the natural blessing marred into a curse 
by man ; 

Come then, in favour will I show thee the proper ex- 
cellence of life. 

Keep thou purity, and watch against suspicion, — love 
shall never perish ; 



•f fife. 379 

Guard thine innocency spotless, and the buoyancy of 

childhood shall remain. 
Sweet ideals feed the soul, thoughts of loveliness delight 

it, 
The chivalrous affection of uncalculating youth lacketh 

not honourable wisdom. 
Charge not folly on invisibles, that render thee happier 

and purer, 
The fair frail visions of Romance have a use beyond the 

maxims of the Real. 

SSehold a patriarch of years, who leaneth on the staff of 

religion ; 
His heart is fresh, quick to feel, a bursting fount of 

generosity : 
He, playful in his wisdom, is gladdened in his children's 

gladness, 
He, pure in his experience, loveth in his son's first 

love: 
Lofty aspirations, deep affections, holy hopes are his 

delight ; 
His abhorrence is to strip from Life its charitable gar- 
ment of Idea. 
The cold and callous sneerer, who heedeth of the merely 

practical, 
And mocketh at good uses in imaginary things, that man 

is his scorn : 
The hard unsympathizing modern, filled with facts and 

figures, 
Cautious, and coarse, and materialized in mind, that man 

is his pity. 
Passionate thirst for gain never hath burnt within his 

bosom, 



380 m fife. 

The leaden chains of that dull lust have not hound him 
prisoner : 

The shrewd world laughed at him for honesty, the vain 
world mouthed at him for honour, 

The false world hated him for truth, the cold world de- 
spised him for affection : 

Still, he kept his treasure, the warm and nohle heart, 

And in that happy wise old man survive the child and 
lover. 

For human Life is as Chian wine, flavoured unto him 
who drinketh it, 

Delicate fragrance comforting the soul, as needful sub- 
stance for the body : 

Therefore, see thou art pure and guileless ; so shall thy 
Realities of Life 

Be sweetened, and tempered, and gladdened by the 
wholesome spirit of Romance. 

Host thou live, man, dost thou live, — or only breathe 
and labour ? 

Art thou free, or enslaved to a routine, the daily machi- 
nery of habit ? 

For one man is quickened into Life, where thousands 
exist as in a torpor, 

Feeding, toiling, sleeping, an insensate weary round : 

The plough, or the ledger, or the trade, with animal cares 
and indolence, 

Make the mass of vital years a heavy lump unleavened. 

Drowsily lie down in thy dullness, fettered with the irons 
of circumstance, 

Thou wilt not wake to think and feel a minute in a 
month. 



•f fife. 381 

The epitome of common life is seen in the common 
epitaph, 

Born on such a day, and dead on such another, with an 
interval of threescore years. 

For time hath "been wasted on the senses, to the hourly 
diminishing of spirit : 

Lean is the soul and pineth, in the midst of abundance 
for the body : 

He forgat the worlds to which he tended, and a creature's 
true nobility, 

Nor wished that hope and wholesome fear should stir 
him from his hardened satisfaction. 

And this is death in life ; to be sunk beneath the waters 
of the Actual, 

Without one feebly-struggling sense of an airier spiritual 
realm : 

Affection, fancy, feeling — dead ; imagination, conscience, 
faith, 

All wilfully expunged, till they leave the man mere 
carcase. 

See thou livest, whiles thou art : for heart must live, and 
soul, 

But care and sloth and sin and self, combine to kill that- 
life. 

A man will grow to an automaton, an appendage to the 
counter or the desk, 

If mind and spirit be not roused, to raise the plodding- 
groveller. 

Then praise God for sabbaths, for books, and dreams, 
and pains, 

For the recreative face of nature, and the kindling- 
charities of home : 



382 #f fifc 

And remember, thou that labourest, — thy leisure is not 

loss, 
If it help to expose and undermine that solid falsehood, 

the Material. 

ILife is a strange avenue of various trees and flowers; 

Lightsome at commencement, hut darkening to its end 
in a distant massy portal. 

It beginneth as a little path, edged with the violet and 
primrose, 

A little path of lawny grass, and soft to tiny feet : 

Soon, spring thistles in the way, those early griefs of 
school, 

And fruit-trees ranged on either hand show holiday de- 
lights : 

Anon, the rose and the mimosa hint at sensitive affec- 
tion, 

And vipers hide among the grass, and briars are woven 
in the hedges : 

Shortly, staked along in order, stand the tender sap- 
lings, 

While hollow hemlock and tall ferns fill the frequent 
interval : 

So advancing, quaintly mixed, majestic line the way 

Sturdy oaks, and vigorous elms, the beech and forest- 
pine: 

And here the road is rough with rocks, wide, and scant 
of herbage, 

The sun is hot in heaven, and the ground is cleft and 
parched : 

And many-times a hollow trunk, decayed, or lightning- 
scathed, 



m fife. 383 

Or in its deadly solitude, the melancholy upas ; 

But soon, with closer ranks, are set the sentinel trees, 

And darker shadows hover amongst Autumn's mellow 

tints; 
Ever and anon, a holly, — -junipers, and cypresses, and 



The soil is damp ; the air is chill ; night cometh on 

apace : 
Speed to the portal, traveller, — lo, there is a moon, 
With smiling light to guide thee safely through the 

dreadful shade : 
Hark, — that hollow knock, — behold, the warder openeth, 
The gate is gaping, and for thee ; — those are the jaws of 

Death ! 



384 



Itojj silence, daughter of frivolity, — for Death is in that 

chamber ! 
Startle not with echoing sound the strangely solemn 

peace. 
Death is here in spirit, watcher of a marble corpse, — 
That eye is fixed, that heart is still, — how dreadful in its 

stillness ! 
Death, new tenant of the house, pervadeth all the fabric, 
He waiteth at the head, and he standeth at the feet, and 

hideth in the caverns of the breast : 
Death, subtle leech, hath anatomized soul from body, 
Dissecting well in every nerve its spirit from its sub 

stance : 
Death, rigid lord, hath claimed the heriot clay, 
While joyously the youthful soul hath gone to take his 

heritage : 
Death, cold usurer, hath seized his bonded debtor ; 
Death, savage despot, hath caught his forfeit serf; 



©f §zuth. 385 

Death, blind foe, wreaketh petty vengeance on the 
flesh ; 

Death, fell cannibal, gloateth on his victim, 

And carrieth it with him to the grave, that dismal ban- 
quet-hall, 

Where in foul state the Eoyal Goul holdeth secret 
orgies. 

|§ide it up, hide it up, draw the decent curtain : 
Hence ! curious fool, and pry not on corruption : 
For the fearful mysteries of change are being there 

enacted, 
And many actors play their part on that small stage, the 

tomb. 
Leave the clay, that leprous thing, touch not the fleshly 

garment : 
Dust to dust, it mingleth well among the sacred soil : 
It is scattered by the winds, it is wafted by the waves, it 

mixeth with herbs and cattle, 
But God hath watched those morsels, and hath guided 

them in care ; 
Each waiting soul must claim his own, when the arch- 
angel soundeth, 
And all the fields, and all the hills, shall move a mass of 

life ; 
Bodies numberless crowding on the land, and covering 

the trampled sea, 
Darkening the air precipitate, and gathered scatheless 

from the fire ; 
The Himalayan peaks shall yield their charge, and the 

desolate steppes of Siberia, 

c c 



386 ®i $*atfc. 

The Maelstrom disengulph its spoil, and the iceberg 

manumit its captive : 
All shall teem with life, the converging fragments of 

humanity, 
Till every conscious essence greet his individual frame ; 
For in some dignified similitude, alike, yet different in 

glory, 
This body shall be shaped anew, fit dwelling for the 

soul : 
The hovel hath grown to a palace, the bulb hath burst 

into the flower, 
Matter hath put on incorruption, and is at peace with 

spirit. 

$men, — and so it shall be : — but now, the scene is 

drear, — 
Yea, though promises and hope strive to cheat its sad- 
ness; 
Full of grief, though faith herself is strong to speed the 

soul, 
For the partner of its. toil. is left behind to endure an 

ordeal of change. 
Dear partner, dear and frail, my loved though humble 

home, — 
Should I cast thee off without a pang, as a garment 

flung aside? 
Many years, for joy and sorrow, have T dwelt in thee, 
How shall I be reckless of thy weal, nor hope for thy 

perfection ? — 
This also, He that lent thee for my uses in mortality, 
Shall well fulfil with boundless praise on that returning 

day: 



m gtarffc. 387 

Behold, thou shalt be glorified : thou, mine abject 

. Mend, 
And should I meanly scorn thy state, until it rise to 

greatness ? 
Far be it, my soul, from thine expectant essence, 
To be heedless, if indignity or folly desecrate those thine 

ashes : 
Keep them safe with careful love ; and let the mound be 

holy; 
And, thou that passest by, revere the waiting dead. 

Naples sitteth by the sea, keystone of an arch of azure, 
Crowned by consenting nations peerless queen of 

gaiety : 
She laugheth at the wrath of Ocean, she mocketh the 

fury of Vesuvius, 
She spurneth disease and misery and famine, that crowd 

her sunny streets : 
The giddy dance, the merry song, the festal glad pro- 
cession, 
The noonday slumber and the midnight serenade, — all 

these make up her Life : 
Her Life ? — and what her Death ? — look we to the end 

of life- 
Solon, and Tellus the Athenian, wisely have ye pointed 

to the grave. 
For behold yon dreary precinct, — those hundreds of 

stone wells, 
A pit for a day, a pit for a day,— a pit to be sealed for a 

year : 
And in the gloom of night, they raise the year-closed 

lid — 

c c 2 



388 ®f garffc. 

Look in, — for gnawing lime hath half consumed the 
carcases ; 

Thus they hurl the daily dead into that horrible pit, 

The dead that only died this day, — as unconsidered 
offal! 

There, a stark white heap, unwept, unloved, uncared 
for, 

Old men and maidens, young men and infants, mingle 
in hideous corruption ; 

Fling in the gnawing lime, — seal up the charnel for a 
year; 

For lo, a morrow's dawn hath tinged the mountain sum- 
mit. 

fair false city, thou gay and gilded harlot, 

Woe, for thy wanton heart, woe, for thy wicked hard- 
ness : 

Woe unto thee, that the lightsomeness of Life, beneath 
Italian suns, 

Should meet the solemnity of Death, in a sepulchre so 
foul and fearful. 

jfor that, even to the best, the wise and pure and pious, 
Death, repulsive king, thine iron rule is terrible : 
Yea, and even at the best, in company of buried kin- 
dred, 
With hallowing rites, and friendly tears, and the dear 

old country church, 
Death, cold and lonely, thy frigid face is hateful, 
The bravest look on thee with dread, the humblest curse 

thy coming. 
Still, ye unwise among mankind, your foolishness hath 
added fears ; 



•f $mt% 389 

The crowded cemetery, the catacomb of bones, the pes- 
tilential vault, 

With fancy's gliding ghost at eve, her moans and flaky 
footfalls, 

And the gibbering train of terror to fright your coward 
hearts. 

We speak not here of sin, nor the phantoms of a bloody 
conscience, 

Nor of solaces, and merciful pardon : we heed but the 
inevitable grave ; 

The grave, that wage of guilt, that due return to dust, 

The grave, that goal of earth, and starting-post for 
Heaven. 

Plant it with laurels, sprinkle it with lilies, set it upon 
yonder dewy hill 

Midst holy prayers, and generous griefs, and consecrating 
blessings : 

Let Sophocles sleep among his ivy, green perennial gar- 
lands, 

Let olives shade their Virgil, and roses bloom above 
Corinne ; 

To his foster-mother, Ocean, entrust the mariner in 
hope; 

The warrior's spirit, let it rise on high from the flaming 
fragrant pyre. 

But heap not coffins and corruption to infect the mass 
of living, 

Nor steal from odious realities the charitable poetry of 
Death : 

It is wise to gild uncomeliness, it is wise to mask neces- 
sity, 



390 #f gjea% 

It is wise from cheerful sights and sounds to draw their 
gentle uses : 

Hide the facts, the bitter facts, the foul, and fearful 
facts, 

Tend the body well in hope, this were praise and wis- 
dom : 

But to plunge in gloom the parting soul, that hath loved 
its clay tenement so long, 

This were vanity and folly, the counsel of moroseness 
and despair. 

Not thus, the Scythian of old time welcomed Death with 
songs ; 

Not thus, the shrewd Egyptian decorated Death with 
braveries ; 

Not thus, on his funeral tower sleepeth the sun-worship- 
ping Parsee ; 

Not thus, the Moslem saint lieth in his arabesque mau- 
soleum; 

Not thus, the wild red Indian, hunter of the far Mis- 
souri, 

In flowering trees hath nested up his forest-loving 
ancestry ; 

Not thus, the Switzer mountaineer scattereth ribboned 
garlands 

About the rustic cross that halloweth the bed of his be- 
loved ; 

Not thus, the village maiden wisheth she may die in 
spring, 

With store of violets and cowslips to be sprinkled on 
her snow-white shroud ; 

Not thus, the dying poet asketh a cheerful grave, — 

Lay him in the sunshine, friends, nor sorrow that a 
Christian hath departed ! 



#f gjeatfc. 391 

f?ea ; it is the poetry of Death, an Orpheus gladdening 

Hades, 
To care with mindful love for all so dear — and dead ; 
To think of them in hope, to look for them in joy, and — 

but for its simple vanity,- — 
To pray with all the earnestness of nature for souls who 

cannot change. 
For the tree is felled, and houghed, and hare, and the 

Measurer standeth with His line ; 
The chance is gone for ever, and is past the reach of 

prayer : 
For men and angels, good and ill, have rendered all 

their witness ; 
The trial is over, the jury are gone in, and none can now 

be heard ; 
Well are they agreed upon the verdict, just, and fixt, 

and final, 
And the sentence showeth clear, before the Judge hath 

spoken : 
Now, — while resting matter is at peace within the 

tomb, 
The conscious spirit watcheth in unspeakable suspense 
Backed with a fearful looking-forward, or blissfully 

feeding on the foretaste, 
Waiting souls in eager expectation pass the solemn in 

terval : 
They slumber not at death, but awaken, quickened to 

the terrors of the judgment ; 
They lie not insensate among darkness, but exult, look- 
ing forward to the light : 
Idiotcy, brightening on the instant, when that veil is 

torn, 



392 m gwtfc. 

Is grateful that his torpor here hath left him as an in- 
nocent : 

The young child, stricken as he played, aud guileless 
babes unborn, 

Freed from fetters of the flesh, burst into mind imme- 
diate : 

Madness judgeth wisely, and the visions of the lunatic 
are gone, 

And each hasteneth to praise the mercy that made him 
irresponsible. 

For the soul is one, though manifold in act, working the 
machinery of brain, 

Eeason, fancy, conscience, passion, are but varying 
phases ; 

If, in God's wise purpose, the machine were shattered or 
confused, 

Still is soul the same, though it exhibit with a diffe- 
rence : 

Therefore, dissipate the brain, and set its inmate free, 

Behold, the maniacs and embryos stand in their place 
intelligent. 

That solvent eateth away all dross, leaving the gold 
intact : 

Matter lingereth in the retort, spirit hath flown to the 
receiver : 

And lo, that recipient of the spirits, it is some aerial 
world, 

An oasis midway on the desert space, separating earth 
from heaven, 

A prison-house for essences incorporate, a limbus vague 
and wide, 

Tartarus for evil, and Paradise for good, that intermedi- 
ate Hades. 



#f $*«%. 393 

<£ Death, what art thou? a Lawgiver that never alteretb. 

Fixing the consummating seal, whereby the deeds of life 
become established : 

Death, what art thou ? a stern and silent usher, 

Leading to the judgment for Eternity, after the trial- 
scene of Time : 

Death, what art thou ? an Husbandman, that reapeth 
always, 

Out of season, as in season, with the sickle in his 
hand : 

Death, what art thou ? the shadow unto every sub- 
stance, 

In the bower as in the battle, haunting night and day : 

Death, what art thou ? Nurse of dreamless slumbers 

Freshening the fevered flesh to a wakefulness eternal : 

Death, what art thou? strange and solemn Alchy- 
mist, 

Elaborating life's elixir from these clayey crucibles : 

Death, what art thou? Antitype of Nature's mar- 
vels, 

The seed and dormant chrysalis bursting into energy 
and glory. ' 

Thou calm safe anchorage for the shattered hulls of 
men, — 

Thou spot of gelid shade, after the hot-breathed de- 
sert, — 

Thou silent waiting-hall, where Adam meeteth with his 
children, — 

How full of dread, how full of hope, loometh inevitable 
Death : 

Of dread, for all have sinned; of hope, for One hath 
saved ; 



394 ©f gteatfc. 

The dread is drowned in joy, the hope is filled with im- 
mortality ! 
—Pass along, pilgrim of life, go to thy grave unfear- 

The terrors are but shadows now, that haunt the vale of 
Death. 



395 



if |mm0rta% 



(Eftrtf up thy mind to contemplation, trembling inhabit- 
ant of earth ; 

Tenant of a hovel for a day, — thou art heir of the uni 
verse for ever ! 

For, neither congealing of the grave, nor gulphing waters 
of the firmament, 

Nor expansive airs of heaven, nor dissipative fires of 
Gehenna, 

Nor rust of rest, nor wear, nor waste, nor loss, nor 
chance, nor change, 

Shall avail to quench or overwhelm the spark of soul 
within thee ! 

Chou art an imperishable leaf on the evergreen bay-tree 
of Existence ; 

A word from Wisdom's mouth, that cannot be un- 
spoken ; 

A ray of Love's own light ; a drop in Mercy's sea ; 



396 #f Immortality 

A creature, marvellous and fearful, begotten by the fiat 

of Omnipotence. 
I, that speak in weakness, and ye, that hear in charity, 
Shall not cease to live and feel, though flesh must see 

corruption ; 
For the prison-gates of matter shall be broken, and the 

shackled soul go free, 
Free, for good or ill, to satisfy its appetence for ever : 
For ever, — dreadful doom, to be hurried on eternally to 

evil, — 
For ever, — happy fate, to ripen into perfectness — for 

ever! 

Stnd is there a thought within thy heart, slave of sin 
and fear, 

A black and harmful hope, that erring spirit dieth ? 

That primal disobedience hath ensured the death of 
soul, 

And separate evil sealed it thine — thy curse, Annihila- 
tion? 

Heed thou this ; there is a Sacrifice ; the Maker is Re- 
deemer of His creature ; 

Freely unto each, universally to all, is restored the privi- 
lege of essence : 

Whether unto grace or guilt, all must live through Him, 

Live in vital joy, or live in dying woe : 

Death in Adam, Life in Christ : the curse hung upon 
the cross : 

Who art thou that heedest of redemption, as narrower 
than the fall ? 

All were dead, — He died for all ; that living, they might 
love; 



#f immortality 397 

If living souls withhold their love, — still, He hath died 
for them. 

Eve stole the knowledge ; Christ gave the life : 

Knowledge and life are the perquisites of soul, the privi- 
lege of Man : 

Mercy stepped between and stayed the double theft ; 

God gave ; and giving, bought ; and buying, asketh 
love : 

And in such asking rendereth bliss, to all that hear and 
answer, 

For love with life is heaven ; and life unloving, hell. 

Creature of God, His will is for thy weal, eternally pro- 
gressing ; 

Fear not to trust a Maker's love, nor a Saviour's ran- 
som : 

He drank for all, — for thee, and me, — the poison of our 
deeds ; 

We shall not die, but live,— and, of His grace, we love. 

For, in the mysteries of Mercy, the One fore-knowing 
Spirit 

Outstrippeth reason's halting choice, and winneth men 
to Him : 

Who shall sound the depths? who shall reach the 
heights? 

Freedom, in the gyves of fate ; and sovereignty, recon- 
ciled with justice. 

ffi then, as annihilate by sin, the soul was ever forfeit, 
Godhead paid the mighty price, the pledge hath been 

redeemed : 
He from the waters of Oblivion raised the drowning 

race, 



398 <$f |mm0rfal% 

Lifting them even to Himself, the baseless Rock of 

Ages. 
None can escape from Adam's guilt, or second Adam's 

guerdon : 
Sin and death are thine ; thine also is interminable 

being : 
Let it be even as thou wilt, still are we ransomed from 

nonentity, 
The worlds of bliss and woe are peopled with immor- 
tals : 
And ruin is thy blame ; for thou, the worst, art free 
To take from Heaven the grace of love, as the gift of 

life: 
Yet is not remedy thy praise; for thou, the best, art 

bound 
In self, and sin, and darkling sloth, until He break the 

chain : 
None can tell, without a struggle, if that chain be 

broken ; 
Strive to-day, — one effort more may prove that thou art 

free ! 
Here is faith and prayer, here is tbfe Grace and the 

Atonement, 
Here is the creature feeling for its God, and the prodigal 

returning to his Father. 
But, behold, His reasonable children, standing in just 

probation, 
With ears to hear, neglect ; with eyes to see, refuse : 
They will not have the blessing with the life, the bless- 
ing that enrich eth immortality ; 
And look for pleasures out of God, for heaven in life 

alone ; 



§i lmm0rfalxtg. 399 

So, they snatch that awful prize, existence void of love, 
And in their darkening exile make a needful hell of self. 

therefore fear, thou sinner, lest the huge "blessing, Im- 
mortality, 

Be blighted in thine evil to a curse, — it were better he 
had not been born : 

Therefore hope, thou saint, for the gift of Immortality is 
free ; 

Take and live, and live in love; fear not, thou art re- 
deemed ! 

The happy life, that height of hope, the knowledge of all 
good, 

This is the blessing on obedience, obedience the child of 
faith; 

The miserable life, that depth of all despair, the know- 
ledge of all evil, 

This is the curse upon impenitence, impenitence that 
sprung of unbelief. 

God, from a beautiful necessity, is Love in all He doeth, 

Love, a brilliant fire, to gladden or consume : 

The wicked work their woe by looking upon love, and 
hating it : 

The righteous find their joys in yearning on its loveliness 
for ever. 

SKEho shall imagine Immortality, or picture its illimit- 
able prospect ? 

How feebly can a faltering tongue express the vast idea ! 

For consider the primaeval woods that bristle over broad 
Australia, 

And count their autumn leaves, millions multiplied by 
millions ; 



400 ®i Immnrtalitg. 

Thence look up to a moonless sky from a sleeping isle of 

the iEgsean, 
And add to these leaves yon starry host, sparkling on 

the midnight numberless ; 
Thence traverse an Arabia, some continent of eddying 

sand, 
Gather each grain, let none escape, add them to the 

leaves and to the stars ; 
Afterward gaze upon the sea, the thousand leagues of an 

Atlantic, 
Take drop by drop, and add their sum, to the grains, 

and leaves, and stars; 
The drops of ocean, the desert sands, the leaves, and 

stars innumerable, 
(Albeit, in that multitude of multitudes, each small unit 

were an age,) 
All might reckon for an instant, a transient flash of 

Time, 
Compared with this intolerable blaze, the measureless 

enduring of Eternity ! 

<£ grandest gift of the Creator, — largess worthy of a 

God,— 
Who shall grasp that thrilling thought, life and joy for 

ever? 
For thie sun in heaven's heaven is Love that cannot 

change, 
And the shining of that sun is life, to all beneath its 

beams : 
Who shall arrest it in the firmament, — or drag it from 

its sphere ? 
Or bid its beauty smile no more, but be extinct for ever ? 



#f fmmmialitg. 401 

Yea, where God hath given, none shall take away, 

Nor build up limits to His love, nor bid His bounty- 
cease ; 

Wide, as space is peopled, endless as the empire of 
heaven, 

The river of the water of life floweth on in majesty for 
ever ! 

W3hy should it seem a thing impossible to thee, man 

of many doubts, 
That God shall wake the dead, and give this mortal im- 
mortality ? 
Is it that such riches are unsearchable, the bounty too 

profuse ? 
And yet, what gift, to cease or change, is worthy of the 

King Almighty ? 
For remember the moment thou art not, thou mightest. 

as well not have been ; 
A millennium and an hour are equal in the gulph of 

that desolate abyss, annihilation : 
If Adam had existed till to-day, and to-day had perished 

utterly, 
What were his gain in length of a life, that hath passed 

away for ever ? 
No tribute of thanks can exhale from the empty censer 

of nonentity : 
The Giver, with His gift reclaimed, is mulcted of all 

praise. 

Cell me, ye that strive in vain to cramp and dwarf the 
soul, 

I) D 



402 ®i gmmorialitg. 

Wherefore should it cease to be, and when shall essence 
die? 

It is, — and therefore shall be, — till just obstacle op- 
poseth : 

Show no cause for change, and reason leaneth to con- 
tinuance. 

The body verily shall change; this curious house we 
live in 

Never had continuing stay, but changeth every instant : 

But the spiritual tenant of the house abideth in unalter- 
able consciousness, 

He may fly to many lands, but cannot flee himself. 

The soil wherein ye drop the seed, by suns or rains may 
vary; 

But the seed is the same ; and soul is the seed ; and flesh 
but its anchorage to earth. 

Che machine may be broken, and rust corrode the 
springs : but can rust feed on motion ? 

Worms may batten on the brain : but can worms gnaw 
the mind ? 

Dynamics are, and dwell apart, though matter be not 
made ; 

Spirit is, and can be separate, though a body were not : 

Power is one, be it lever, screw, or wedge ; but it 
needeth these for illustration : 

Mind is one, be it causal or ideal ; but it is shown in 
these. 

The creature is constructed individual, for trial of his 
reasonable will, 

Clay and soul, commingled wisely, mingled not con- 
fused : 



®i fmmorialiig- 403 

As power is not in the spring, till somewhat give it 

action, 
So. until spirit be infused, the organism lieth inergetic. 

<©r shalt thou say that mind is the delicate offspring of 
matter, 

The bright consummate flower that must perish with its 
leaf? 

Go to : doth weight breed lightness ? is freedom the 
atmosphere of prisons ? 

When did the body elevate, expand, and bud the mind ? 

Lo, a red-hot cinder flung from the furnaces of iEtna, 

There is fire in that ash ; but did the pumice make it ? 

Nay, cold clod, never canst thou generate a flame, 

Nay, most exquisite machinery, never-more elaborate a 
mind; 

Rather do ye battle and contend, opposite the one to the 
other ; 

Till God shall stop the strife, and call the body col- 
league. 

t&arment of flesh, and art thou then a vest, so tinged 
with subtls poison, 

(Maddening tunic of the centaur,) as to kill the soul? 

Not so : fruit of disobedience, rot in dissolution, as thou 
must, — 

The seed is in the core, its germ is safe, and life is in 
that germ : 

Moreover, Marah shall be sweetened : and a Good Phy- 
sician 

Yet shall heal those gangrene wounds, the spotted plague 
of sin : 

d r> 2 



404 #f Irnnurrtalitg. 

He, through worldly trials, and the separative cleansing 

of the grave, 
Shall change its corruptihle to glory, and wash that gar 

ment white. 

JHill, is the whisper in thy heart, that oftenest the bed of 
death 

Seemeth hut a sluggish ebb, of sinking soul and body ? 

Mind dwelling, long-time, sensual in the chambers of the 
flesh, 

May slumber on in conscious sloth, and wilfully be 
dulled: 

But is it therefore nigh to dissolution, even as the body 
of this death ? 

Ask the stricken conscience, gasping out its terrors ; 

Ask the dying miser, loth to leave his gold ; 

Ask the widowed poor, confiding her fatherless to stran- 
gers; 

Ask the martyr-maid, a broken reed so strong, 

That weak and tortured frame, with triumph on its 
brow ! — 

thou gainsayer, the finger of disease may seem to reach 
the soul, 

But it is a spiritual touch, sympathy with that which 
aileth : 

Pain or fear may dislocate and shatter this delicate ma- 
chinery of nerves ; 

But madness proveth mind : the fault is in the engine, 
not the impetus : 

Dissipate the mists of matter, lo, the soul is clear : 

Timour's cage bowed it in the dust ; but now it goeth 
forth a freedman. 



®i $mmoriaJ% 405 

get more, there is reason in moralities, that the soul 
must live ; 

If God be king in heaven, or have care for earth. 

Can wickedness have triumphed with impunity, or virtue 
toiled unseen ? 

Shall cruelty torture unavenged, and the innocent com- 
plain unheard ? 

Is there no recompense for woe, — must there be no other 
world for justice, — 

No hope in setting suns of good, nor terror for the evil 
at its zenith ? 

How shall ye make answer unto this; a just God pros- 
pering iniquity, 

Wisdom encouraging the foolish, and Goodness abetting 
the depraved ! 

get again ; mine erring brother^ pardon this abundance 

of my speech, 
Yield me thy candour and thy charity, listening with a 

welcome : 
For, even now, a thousand thoughts are trooping to my 

theme ; 
mighty theme, feeble thoughts ! Alas ! who is suffi- 
cient ? 
Judge not so high a cause by these poor words alone, 
For lo, the advocate hath little skill : pardon, and pass 

on: 
Certify tbyself with surer proofs ; fledge thine own mind 

for flight ; 
Think, and pray , those better proofs shall follow on 

with holy aspiration. 
Yet in my humbler grade to help thy weal and comfort 



406 <©f |mm0rfal% 

Thy weal for this and higher worlds, and comfort in thy 
sickness, 

Suffer the multitude of fancies, walking with me still in 
love ; 

But tread in fear, it is holy ground, — remember, Immor- 
tality ! 

2KUilt thou argue from infirmities, thine abject evil 
state, 

As how should stricken wretched man indeed exist for 
ever : 

The brutal and besotted, the savage and the slave, the 
sucking infant and the idiot, 

The mass of mean and common minds, and all to be im- 
mortal ? — 

Consider every beginning, how small it is and feeble : 

Ganges, and the rolling Mississippi sprung of brooks 
among the mountains ; 

The Yew tree of a thousand years was once a little 
seed; 

And Nero's marble Eome, a shepherd's mudbuilt 
hovel : 

A speck is on the tropic sky, and it groweth to the ter- 
rible tornado ; 

An apple, all too fair to see, destroyed a world of souls: 

A tender babe is born, — it is Attila, scourge of the 
nations ! 

A seeming malefactor dieth, — it is Jesus, the Saviour of 
men ! 

SCnd hive not in thy thoughts the vain and wordy 
notion 



#f gmrnortalitg. 407 

That nothing which was horn in Time can tire out the 

footsteps of Infinity : 
Reckon up a sum in numbers : where shall progression 

stop? 
The starting-post is definite and fixed, but what is the 

goal of numeration ? 
So, begin upon a moment, and when shall being end ? 
Souls emanate from God. to travel with Him equally for 

ever. 
Moreover, thou that objectest the unenterable circle of 

eternity, 
That none but He from everlasting can endure, as to a 

futme everlasting, 
Consider, may it be impossible that creatines were 

counted in then Maker. 
And so, that the confines of Eternity are filled by God 

alone? 
Trust not thy soul upon a fancy : who would freight a 

bubble with a diamond. 
And launch that priceless gem on the boiling rapids of 

a cataract ? 

£f then we perish not at death, but walk in spirit through 

the darkness. 
Waiting for a mausion inconiiptible. whereof this body 

is the seed. 
Tell me, when shall be the period? time and its ordeals 

are done : 
The storms are passed, the night is at end. behold the 

Sabbath morning. 
Is death to he conqueror again, and claim once more the 

victory, — 



408 <§f |mmorfa% 

Can the enemy's corpse awaken into life, and "bruise the 

Champion's head ? 
Evil, terrible ensample, that foil to the attributes of 

Good, 
Is banished to its own black world, weeded out of earth 

and heaven : 
Shall that great gulf be passed, and sin be sown again ? 
We know but this, the book of truth proclaimeth 

gladly, Never ! 

Chere remaineth the will of our God : when He re- 
penteth of His creature, 

Made by self-suggested mercy, ransomed by self-sacri- 
ficing justice, — 

When Truth, that swore unto his neighbour, disap- 
pointeth him, and cleaveth to a lie, — 

When the counsels of Wisdom are confounded, and 
Love warreth with itself, — 

When the Unchangeable is changed, and the arm of 
Omnipotence is broken, — 

Then, — thy quenchless soul shall have reached the goal 
of its existence. 

38ut it seemeth to thy notions of the merciful and just, 

a false and fearful thing, 
To lay such a burden upon time, that eternity be built 

on its foundation : 
if so casual good or ill should colour all the future, 
And the vanity of accident, or sternness of necessity, 

save or wreck a soul. 
Were it casual, vain, or stern, this might pass for 

truth : 



©f $mmflrfa% 409 

But all things are marshalled by Design, and carefully 
tended by Benevolence. 

man, thy Judge is righteous, — noting, remembering, 
and weighing ; — 

Want, ignorance, diversities of state, are cast into the 
balance of advantage : 

The poisonous example of a parent asketh for allowance 
in the child ; 

Care, diseases, toils, and frailties, — all things are consi- 
dered. 

And again, a mysterious Omniscience knoweth the 
spirits that are His, 

While the delicate tissues of Event are woven by the 
fingers of Ubiquity. 

Should Providence be taken by surprise from the pos- 
sible impinging of an accident, 

One fortuitous grain might dislocate the banded 
universe : 

The merest seeming trifle is ordered as the morning 
light; 

And He, that rideth on the hurricane, is pilot of the 
bubble on the breaker. 

®nce more, consider Matter, how small a thing is father 

to the greatest ; 
Thou that lightly hast regarded the results of so-called 

accident. 
A blade of grass took fire in the sun, — and the prairies 

are burnt to the horizon : 
A grain of sand may blind the eye, and madden the 

brain to murder : 



410 #f Immtrctalitg. 

A careful fly deposited its egg in the swelling bud of an 
acorn, — 

The sapling grew, — cankrous and gnarled, — it is yonder 
hollow oak: 

A child touched a spring, and the spring closed a valve, 
and the labouring engine burst, — 

A thousand lives were in that ship, — wrecked by an in- 
fant's finger ! 

Shall nature preach in vain ? thy casualty, guided in its 
orbit, 

Though less than a mote upon the sunbeam, saileth in a 
fleet of worlds ; 

That trivial cause, watered and observed of the Husband- 
man day by day, 

In calm undeviating strength doth work its large effect. 

Thus, in the pettiness of life note thou seeds of gran- 
deur, 

And watch the hour-glass of Time with the eyes of an 
heir of Immortality. 

Chere still be clouds of witnesses, — if thou art not weary 
of my speech, — 

Flocks of thoughts adding lustre to the light, and point- 
ing on to Life. 

For reflect how Truth and Goodness, well and wisely put, 

Commend themselves to every mind with wondrous in- 
tuition : 

What is this ? the recognition of a standard, unwritten, 
natural, uniform ; 

Telling of one common source, the root of Good and 
True. 

And if thus present soul can trace descent from Deity, 



©f Immoxtalxtg. 411 

Being, as it standeth, individual, a separate reasonable 
thing, 

What should hinder that its hope may not trace gladly 
forward, 

And, in astounding parallel, like Enoch walk with God? 

Yea, the genealogy of soul, that vivifying breath of a 
Creator, 

Breath, no transient air, but essence, energy, and rea- 
son, 

Is looming on the past, and shadowing the future, sub- 
limely as Melchisedek of old, 

Having not beginning, nor end of days, but present in 
the majesty of Peace ! 

$ false scholar, credulous in vanities, and only sceptical 

of truth, 
Wherefore toil to cheat thy soul of its birth right, Im- 
mortality ? 
Is it for thy guilt ? He pardoneth : Is it for thy frailty ? 

He will help : 
Though thou fearest, He is love; and Mercy shall be 

deeper than Despair : 
Even for thy full-blown pride, is it much to be receiver 

of a God ? 
And lo, thy rights, He made thee ; thy claims, He hath 

redeemed. 
Hath the fair aspect of affection no beauty that thou 

shouldst desire it ? 
And are those sorrows nothing, to thee that passest by ? 
Eor it is Fact, immutable, that God hath dwelt in 

Man: 
With gentle generous love ennobling while He bought us. 



412 ®i Immorfafitg. 

What, though thou art false, ignorant, weak and 

daring, — 
Can the sun be quenched in heaven — or only Belisarius 

be blind? 

3But, even stooping to thy folly, grant all these hopes are 

vain; 
Stultify reason, wrestle against conscience, and wither up 

the heart : 
Where is thy vast advantage ? — I have all that thou 

hast, 
The buoyancy of life as strong, and term of days no 

shorter ; 
My cup is full with gladness, my griefs are not more 

galling ; 
And thus, we walk together, even to the gates of 

death : 
There, (if not also on my journey, blessing every step, 
Gladdening with light, and quickening with love, and 

killing all my cares,) 
There, — while thou art quailing, or sullenly expecting to 

be nothing, — 
There, — is found my gain ; I triumph where thou tre ru- 
biest. 
Grant all my solace is a lie, yet it is a fountain of delight, 
A spice in every pleasure, and a balm for every pain : 
O precious wise delusion, scattering both misery and 

sin, — 
vile and silly truth, depraving while it curseth ! 

Harkling child of knowledge, commune with Socrates 
and Cicero, 



#f gmmortalitg. 413 

They had no prejudice of birth, no dull parental warp- 

ings; 
See, those lustrous minds anticipate the dawning day, — 
Whilst thou, poor mole, art burrowing back to darkness 

from the light. 
I will not urge a revelation, mercies, miracles, and 

martyrs, 
But, after twice a thousand years, go, learn thou of the 

pagan : 
It were happier and wiser even among fools, to cling to 

the shadow of a hope, 
Than, in the company of sages, to wiu the substance of 

despair ; 
But here, the sages hope ; despair is with the fools, 
The base bad hearts, the stolid heads, the sensual and 

the selfish. 

^[nd wilt thou, sorry scorner, mock the phrase, despair? 
Despair for those who die and live, — for me, I live and 

die : 
What have I to do with dread? — my taper must go 

out; — 
I nurse no silly hopes, and therefore feel no fears; 
I am hastening to an End. — false and feeble answer : 
For hope is in thee still, and fear, a racking deep 

anxiety. 
Erring brother, listen : and take thine answer from 

the ancients : 
Consider every end, that it is but the end of a begin 

ning. 
All things work in circles ; weariness induceth unto 

rest, 



414 #f fmmortalitg. 

Eest invigorateth labour, and labour causetb weariness : 
War produceth peace, and peace is wanton unto war : 
Light dieth into darkness, and night dawneth into 

day: 
The rotting jungle reeds scatter fertility around ; 
The buffalo's dead carcass hath quickened life in mil- 
lions : 
The end of toil is gain, tbe end of gain is pleasure, 
Pleasure tendeth unto waste, and waste commandeth 
toil. 

Jj)o, is death an end, — but it breedeth an infinite begin- 
ning; 

Limits are for time, and death killed time ; Eternity's 
beginning is for ever. 

Ambition, hath it any goal indeed? is not all fruition, 
disappointment ? 

A step upon the ladder, and another, and another, — we 
start from every end ? 

Look to the eras of mortality, babe, student, man, 

The husband, the father, the death-bed of a saint, — and 
is it then an end ? 

That common climax, Death, shall it lead to nothing? 

How strong a root of causes flowering a consequence of 
vapour : 

That solid chain of facts, is it to be snapped for ever ? 

How stout a show of figures, weakly summing to non- 
entity. 

<©r haply, Death, in the doublings of thy thought, shall 

seem continuous ending ; 
A dull eternal slumber, not an end abrupt. 



<M $mmorfaIitg. 415 

most futile chrysalis, wherefore dost thou sleep ? 
Dreamless, unconscious, never to awake, — what object 

in such slumber ? 
If thou art still to live, it may as well be wakefully as 

sleeping : 
How grovelling must that spirit be, to need eternal 

sleep ! 
Or was indeed the toil of life so heavy and so long, 
That nevermore can rest refresh thine overburdened 

soul ?— 
Sleep is a recreance to body, but when was mind 

asleep ? 
Even in a swoon it dreameth, though all be forgotten 

afterward : 
The muscles seek relaxing, and the irritable nerves ask 

peace ; 
But life is a constant force, spirit an unquietable im- 
petus ; 
The eye may wear out as a telescope, and the brain work 

slow as a machine, 
But soul, unwearied, and for ever, is capable of effort 

unimpaired. 

3£ live, move, am conscious : what shall bar my being ? 

Where is the rude hand, to rend this tissue of existence ? 

Not thine, shadowy Death, what art thou but a phan- 
tom? 

Not thine, foul Corruption, what art thou but a fear ? 

For death is merely absent life, as darkness absent 
light; 

Not even a suspension, for the life hath sailed away, 
steering gladly somewhere. 



416 <S)f Immoxtalitg. 

And corruption closely noted, is but a dissolving of the 

parts, 
The parts remain, and nothing lost, to build a better 

whole. 
Moreover, mind is unity, however versatile and rapid ; 
Thou canst not entertain two coincident ideas, although 

they quickly follow : 
And Unity hath no parts, so that there is nothing to 

dissolve : 
And element is still unchanged in every searching 

solvent. 
Who then shall bid me be annulled ? — He that gave me 

being ? 
Amen, if God so will : I know that will is love ; 
But love hath promised life, and therefore I shall live ; 
So long as He is God, I shall be His Creature! 

STnd here, shrewd reasoner, so eager to prove that thou 

must perish, 
I note a sneer upon thy lip, and ridicule is haply on thy 

tongue : 
How, said he, — creature of a God, and are not all his 

creatures, — 
The lion, and the gnat, — yea, the mushroom, and the 

crystal, — have all these a soul? 
Thy fancies tend to prove too much, and overshoot the 

mark : 
If I die not with brutes, then brutes must live with 

me?— 
I dare not tell thee that they will, for the word is not in 

my commission ; 
But of the twain it is the likelier ; continuance is the 

chance : 



©f gmmnrtalxtg- 417 

Men, dying in their sins, are likened unto beasts that 

perish ; 
They are dark, animal, insensate, but have they not 

a lurking soul ? 
The spirit of a man goeth upward, reasonable, appre- 
hending God; 
The spirit of a beast goeth downward, sensual, doting on 

the creature : 
Who told thee they die at dissolution ? — boldly think it 

out, — 
The multitude of flies, and the multitude of herbs, the 

world with all its beings : 
Is Infinity too narrow, Omnipotence too weak, and Love 

so anxious to destroy, 
Doth Wisdom change its plan, and a Maker cancel His 

created ? 
God's will may compass all things, to fashion and to 

nullify at pleasure : 
Yet are there many thoughts of hope, that all which are 

shall live. 
True, there is no conscience in the brute, beyond some 

educated habit, 
They lay them down without a fear, and wake without a 

hope : 
Hunger and pain is of the animal : but when did they 

reckon or compare ? 
They live, idealess, in instinct ; and while they breathe 

they gain : 
The master is an idol to his dog, who cannot rise beyond 

him; 
And void of capability for God, there would seem small 

cause for an infinity. 

E £ 



418 ®i gmmortalitg. 

Therefore, caviller, my poor thoughts dare not grant they 
live : 

But is it not a great thing to assume their annihilation — 
and thine own ? 

Would it be much if a speck on space, this globe with 
all its millions, 

Verily, after its pollution, were suffered to exist in 
purity ? 

Or much, if guiltless creatures, that were cruelly en- 
treated upon earth, 

Found some commensurate reward in lower joys here- 
after? 

Or much, if a Creator, prodigal of life, and filled with 
the profundity of love, 

Eejoice in all creatures of His skill, and lead them to 
perfection in their kind ? 

man, there are many marvels; yet life is more a 
mystery than death : 

For death may be some stagnant life, — but life is present 
God! 

JKany are the lurking holes of evil ; who shall search 
them out ? 

Who so skilled to cut away the cancer with its fibres ? 

For wily minds with sinuous ease escape from lie to 
lie; 

And cowards driven from the trench steal back to hide 
again. 

Vain were the battle, if a warrior, having slain his 
foes, 

Shall turn and find them vital still, unharmed, yea, un- 
ashamed : 



©f |mrnorfalitg. 419 

For Error, dark magician, daily cast out killed, 
Quickeneth animate anew beneath the midnight moon : 
Once and again, once and again, hath reason answered 

wisely ; 
But not the less with brazen front doth folly urge her 

questions. 
It were but unprofitable toil, a stand-up fight with un- 
belief : 
When was there candour in a caviller, and who can 

satisfy the faithless '? 
Too long, truant from the fold, have I tracked thy 

devious paths ; 
Too long, treacherous deserter, fought thee as a noble 

foeman : 
Haply, my small art, and an arm too weakly for its 

weapon, 
Hath failed to pierce thine iron coat, and reach thy 

stricken soul : 
Haply, the fervour of my speech, and too patient sifting 

of thy fancies. 
Shall tend to make thee prize them more, as worthier 

and wiser : 
Go to : be mine the gain : we measure swords no more : 
God, — and a word go with thee. — Man. thou art Im- 

mortal ! 

Child of light, and student in the truth, too long have I 

/or gotten thee : 
Lo, after parley with an alien, let me hold sweet converse 

with a brother. 
Glorious hopes, and ineffable imaginings, crowd our 

holy theme, 

E E 2 



420 #f |mm0rfH% 

Fear hath been slaughtered on the portal, and Doubt 
driven back to darkness : 

For Christ hath died, and we in Him ; by faith His All 
is ours ; 

Cross and crown, and love, and life ; and we shall reign 
in Him! 

Yea, there is a fitness and a beauty in ascribing immor- 
tality to mind, 

That its energies and lofty aspirations may have scope 
for indefinite expansion : 

To learn all things is privilege of reason, and that with 
a growing capability, 

But in this age of toil and time we scarce attain to al- 
phabets : 

How hardly in the midst of our hurry, and jostled by 
the cares of life, 

Shall a man turn and stop to consider mighty secrets; 

With barely hours, and barely powers, to fill up daily 
duties, 

How small the glimpse of knowledge, his wondering eye 
can catch ! 

And knowledge is a noting of the order wherein God's 
attributes evolve, 

Therefore worthy of the creature, worthy of an angel's 
seeking : 

Yea, and human knowledge, meagre though the har- 
vest, 

Hath its roots, both deep and strong ; but the plants are 
exotic to the climate : 

All we seem to know demand a longer learning, 

History and science, and prophecy and art, are workings 
all of God: 



®i fmmnrfalxtg- 421 

And there are galaxies of globes, millions of unimaginecl 



Other senses, wondrous sounds, and thoughts of thrill- 
ing fire, 

Powers of strange might, quickening unknown ele- 
ments, 

And attributes and energies of God which man may 
never guess. 

$ot in vain, brother, hath soul the spurs of enter - 

prize, 
Nor aimlessly panteth for adventure, waiting at the cave 

of mystery : 
Not in vain the cup of curiosity, sweet and richly 

spiced, 
Is ruby to the sight, and ambrosia to the taste, and re- 
dolent with all fragrance : 
Thou shalt drink, and deeply, filling the mind with 

marvels ; 
Thou shalt watch no more, lingering, disappointed of 

thy hope ; 
Thou shalt roam where road is none, a traveller un- 

tramelled, 
Speeding at a wish, emancipate, to where the stars are 

suns! 

Count, count your hopes, heirs of immortality and 

love; 
And hear my kindred faith, and turn again to bless me. 
For lo, my trust is strong to dwell in many worlds, 
And cull of many brethren there, sweet knowledge ever 

new: 



422 <M |mm0rfa% 

I yearn for realms where fancy shall be filled, and the 
ecstacies of freedom shall be felt, 

And the sonl reign gloriously, risen to its royal des- 
tinies : 

I look to recognize again, through the beautiful mask of 
their perfection, 

The dear familiar faces I have somewhile loved on 
earth : 

I long to talk with grateful tongue of storms and perils 
past, 

And praise the mighty Pilot that hath steered us through 
the rapids : 

He shall be the focus of it all, the very heart of glad- 
ness, — 

My soul is athirst for God, the God who dwelt in Man ! 

Prophet, priest, and king, the sacrifice, the substitute, 
the Saviour, 

Eapture of the blessed in the hunted One of earth, the 
Pardoner in the victim : 

How many centuries of joy concentrate in that theme, 

How often a Methusalem might count his thousand 
years and leave it unexhausted ! 

And lo, the heavenly Jerusalem, with all its gates one 
pearl, 

That pearl of countless price, the door by which we 
entered, — 

Come, tread the golden streets, and join that glorious 
throng, 

The happy ones of heaven and earth, ten thousand 
times ten thousand ; 

Hark, they sing that song, — and cast their crowns be- 
fore Him ; 



Their souls alight with love, — Glory, and Praise, and 

Immortality ! — 
Veil thine eyes : no son of time may see that holy 

vision, 
And even the seraph at thy side hath covered his face 

with wings. 

J9oth he not speak parahles? — each one goeth on his 

way, 
Ye that hear, and I that counsel, go on our ways for- 
getful. 
For the terrible realities whereto we tend, are hidden 

from our eyes, 
We know, but heed them not, and walk as if the tem- 
poral were all things. 
Vanities, buzzing on the ear, fill its drowsy chambers, 
Slow to dread those coming fears, the thunder and the 

trumpet ; 
Motes, steaming on the sight, dim our purblind eyes, 
Dark to see the ponderous orb of nearing Immortality : 
Hemmed in by hostile foes, the trifler is busied on an 

epigram ; 
The dull ox, driven to slaughter, careth but for pasture 

by the way. 
Alas, that the precious things of truth, and the ever- 
lasting hills, 
The mighty hopes we spake of, and the consciousness 

we feel, — 
Alas, that all the future, and its adamantine facts, 
Clouded by the present with intoxicating fumes, — 
Should seem even to us, the great expectant heirs, 
To us, the responsible and free, fearful sons of reason, 



424 #f |mm0rtalitg* 

Only as a lovely song, sweet sounds of solemn music, 
A pleasant voice, and nothing more, — doth he not speak 
parables ? 

ilook to thy soul, O man, for none can be surety for his 

brother : 
Behold, for heaven — or for hell, — thou canst not escape 

from Immortality ! 



425 



iWtntf is like a volatile essence, flitting hither and 

thither, 
A solitary sentinel of the fortress body, to show himself 

everywhere by turns : 
Mind is indivisible and instant, with neither parts nor 

organs, 
That it doeth, it doth quickly, but the whole mind doth 

it: 
An active versatile agent, untiring in the principle of 

energy, 
Nor space, nor time, nor rest, nor toil, can affect the 

tenant of the brain. 
His dwelling may verily be shattered, and the furniture 

thereof be disarranged, 
But the particle of Deity in man slumbereth not, neither 

can be wearied : 
However swift to change, even as the field of a kaleido- 
scope, 



426 ®i gteHS. 

It taketh in but one idea at once, moulded for the mo- 
ment to its likeness : 

Mind is as the quicksilver, which, poured from vessel to 
vessel, 

Instantly seizeth on a shape, and as instantly again dis- 
cardeth it ; 

For it is an apprehensive power, closing on the pro- 
perties of Matter, 

Expanding to enwrap a world, collapsing to prison up 
an atom : 

As, by night, thine irritable eyes may have seen strange 
changing figures, 

Now a wheel, now suddenly a point, a line, a curve, a 
zigzag, 

A maze ever altering, as the dance of gnats upon a sun- 
beam, 

Swift, intricate, neither to be prophesied, nor to be re- 
membered in succession, 

So, the mind of a man, single, and perpetually moving, 

Flickereth about from thought to thought, changed with 
each idea ; 

For the passing second metamorphosed to the image of 
that within its ken, 

And throwing its immediate perceptions into each cause 
of contemplation. 

It shall regard a tree; and unconsciously, in separate 
review, 

Embrace its colour, shape, and use, whole and indivi- 
dual conceptions ; 

It shall read or hear of crime, and cast itself into the 
commission ; 

It shall note a generous deed, and glow for a moment as 
the doer; 



#f gfogfc 427 

It shall imagine pride or pleasure, treading on the edges 

of temptation ; 
Or heed of God and of His Christ, and grow transformed 

to glory. 

Cherefore, it is wise and well to guide the mind aright, 
That its aptness may be sensitive to good, and shrink 

with antipathy from evil : 
For use will mould and mark it, or nonusage dull and 

blunt it ; — 
So to talk of spirit by analogy with substance ; 
And analogy is a truer guide, than many teachers tell of, 
Similitudes are scattered round, to help us, not to hurt 

us; 
Moses, in his every type, and the Greater than Moses 

in His parables, 
Preach, in terms that all may learn, the philosophic 

lessons of analogy : 
And here, in a topic immaterial, the likeness of analogy 

is just; 
By habits, knit the nerves of mind, and train the 

gladiator shrewdly : 
For thought shall strengthen thinking, and imagery 

speed imagination, 
Until thy spiritual inmate shall have swelled to the giant 

of Otranto. 

Nevertheless, heed well, that this Athlete, growing in 

thy brain, 
Be a wholesome Genius, not a cursed Afrite : 
And see thou discipline his strength, and point his aim 

discreetly ; 



428 m %%m. 

Feed him on humility and holy things, weaned from 

covetous desires ; 
Hour by hour and day by day, ply him with ideas of 

excellence, 
Dragging forth the evil but to loathe, as a Spartan's 

drunken Helot : 
And win, by gradual allurements, the still expanding 

soul, 
To rise from a contemplated universe, even to the Hand 

that made it. 

3 common mind perceiveth not beyond his eyes and 
ears: 

The palings of the park of sense enthral this captured 
roebuck : 

And still, though fettered in the flesh, he doth not feel 
his chains, 

Externals are the world to him, and circumstance his 
atmosphere. 

Therefore tangible pleasures are enough for the animal- 
man; 

He is swift to speak and slow to think, dreading his own 
dim conscience ; 

And solitude is terrible, and exile worse than death, 

He cannot dwell apart, nor breathe at a distance from 
the crowd. 

But minds of nobler stamp, and chiefest the mint- 
marked of heaven, 

Walk independent, by themselves, freely manumitted of 
externals ; 

They carry viands with them, and need no refreshment 
by the way, 



®i peas. 429 

Nor drink of other wells than their own inner fountain. 
Strange shall it seem how little such a man will lean 

upon the accidents of life, 
He is winged and needeth not a staff; if it break, — he 

shall not fall : 
And lightly perchance doth he remember the stale 

trivialities around him, 
He liveth in the realm of thought, beyond the world of 

things ; 
These are but transient Matter, and himself enduring 

Spirit : 
And worldliness will laugh to scorn that sublimated 

wisdom. 
His eyes may open on a prison-cell, but the bare walls 

glow with imagery ; 
His ears may be filled with execrations, but are listening 

to the music of sweet thoughts ; 
He may dwell in a hovel with a hero's heart, and canopy 

his penury with peace, 
For mind is a kingdom to the man, who gathereth his 

pleasure from Ideas. 



430 



^fofam gave the name, when the Lord had made His 

creature, 
For God led them in review, to see what man would call 

them. 
As they struck his senses, he proclaimed their sounds, 
A name for the distinguishing of each, a numeral hy 

which it should be known : 
He specified the partridge by her cry, and the forest 

prowler by his roaring, 
The tree by its use, and the flower by its beauty, and 

everything according to its truth. 

(Ehere is an arbitrary name; whereunto the idea at- 
tach eth ; 

And there is a reasonable name, linking its fitness to 
idea : 

Yet shall these twain run in parallel courses, 

Neither shalt thou readily discern the habit from the 
nature. 



©f $mz*. 431 

For mind is apt, and quick to wed ideas and names to- 
gether, 

Nor stoppeth its perception to be curious of priorities ; 

And there is but little in the sound, as some have vainly- 
fancied, 

The same tone in different tongues shall be suitable to 
opposite ideas : 

Yea, take an ensample in thine own ; consider similar 
words : 

How various and contrary the thoughts those kindred 
names produce : 

A house shall seem a fitting word to call a roomy 
dwelling, 

Yet there is a like propriety in the small smooth sound, 
a mouse : 

Mountain, as if of a necessity, is a word both mighty 
and majestic, — 

What heed ye then of Fountain? — flowing silver in the 
sun. 

JHany a fair flower is burdened with preposterous appel- 
latives, 

Which the wiser simplicity of rustics entitled by its 
beauties : 

And often the conceit of science, loving to be thought 
cosmopolite, 

Shall mingle names of every clime, alike obscure to 
each. 

There is wisdom in calling a thing fitly ; name should 
note particulars 

Through a character obvious to all men, and worthy of 
their instant acceptation. 



432 ®i games. 

The herbalist had a simple cause for every word upon 
his catalogue, 

But now the mouth of Botany is filled with empty 
sound ; 

And many a peasant hath an answer on his tongue, 
concerning some vexed flower, 

Shrewder than the centipede phrase, wherewithal philo- 
sophers invest it. 

jfor that, the foolishness of pride, and flatteries of 

cringing homage, 
Strew with chaff the threshing-floors of science ; names 

perplex them all : 
The entomologist, who hath pried upon an insect, 

straightway shall endow it with his name ; 
It had many qualities and marks of note, — but in chief, 

a vain observer: 
The geographer shall journey to the pole, through biting 

frost and desolation, 
And, for some simple patron's sake, shall name that 

land, the happy : 
The fossilist hath found a bone, the rib of some huge 

lizard, 
And forthwith standeth to it sponsor, to tack himself on 

reptile immortalities : 
The sportsman, hunting at the Cape, found some strange- 
horned antelope, 
The spots are new, the fame is cheap, and so his name 

is added. 
Thus, obscurities encumber knowledge, even by the 

vanity of men 
Who play into each other's hand the game of giving 

names. 



#f gbmeg. 433 

Various are the names of men, and drawn from different 

wells; 
Aspects of body, or characters of mind, the creature's 

first idea : 
And some have sprung of trades, and some of dignities 

or office ; 
Other some added to a father's, and yet more growing 

from a place : 
Animal creation, with sciences, and things, — their com- 
posites, and near associations, 
Contributed their symbollings of old, wherewith to title 

men: 
And heraldry set upon its creature the figured attributes 

as ensigns 
By which, as by a name concrete, its bearer should be 

known. 

<£gypt opened on the theme, dressing up her gods in 

qualities ; 
Horns of power, feathers of the swift, mitres of catholic 

dominion, 
The sovereign asp, the circle everlasting, the crook and 

thong of justice, 
By many mystic shapes and sounds displayed the idol's 

name. 
Thereafter, high-plumed warriors, the chieftains of 

Etruria and Troy, 
And Xerxes, urging on his millions to the tomb of pride, 

Thermopylae, 
And Hiero with his bounding ships, all figured at the 

prow, 

F F 



434 ®l gtemeg. 

And Eome's Praetorian standards, piled with strange 

devices, 
And stout crusaders pressing to the battle, clad in 

sable mail ; 
These all in their speaking symbols, earned, or wore, a 

name. 
Eve, the mother of all living, and Abraham, father of a 

multitude, 
Jacob, the supplanter, and David, the beloved, and all 

the worthies of old time, 
Noah, who came for consolation, and Benoni, son of 

sorrow, 
Kings and prophets, children of the East, owned each 

his title of significance. 

5Dhere be names of high descent, and thereby storied 

honours : 
Names of fair renown, and therein characters of merit : 
But to lend the lowborn noble names, is to sbed upon 

them ridicule and evil ; 
Yea, many weeds run rank in pride, if men have dubbed 

them cedars. 
And to herald common mediocrity with the noisy notes 

of fame, 
Tendeth to its deeper scorn ; as if it were to call the 

mole a mammoth. 
Yet shall ye find the trader's babe dignified with sound- 
ing titles, 
And little hath the father guessed the harm he did his 

child : 
For either may they breed him discontent, a peevish re 

pining at his station, 



<Sf pmw. 435 

Or point the finger of despite at the mule in the trap- 
pings of an elephant : 
And it is a kind of theft to filch appellations from the 

famous, 
A soiling of the shrines of praise with folly's vulgar 

herd. 
Prudence hath often gone ashamed for the name they 

added to his father's, 
If minds of mark and great achievements hore it well 

before : 
For he walketh as the jay in the fable, though not by his 

own folly, 
Another's fault hath compassed his misfortune, making 

him a martyr to his name 

OTflio would call the tench a whale, or style a torch., 
Orion? 

Yet many a silly parent hath dealt likewise with his 
nurseling 

Give thy child a fit distinguishment, making him sole 
tenant of a name, 

For it were a sore hindrance to hold it in common with 
a hundre I : 

In the Babel of confused identities fame is little feasible, 

The felon shall detract from the philanthropist, and the 
sage share honours with the simple ; 

Still, in thy title of distinguishment, fall not into arro- 
gant assumption, 

Steering from caprice and affectations ; and for all thou 
doest, have a reason. 

He that is ambitious for his son, should give him un- 
tried names, 

F F 2 



436 ®i $fam*s. 

For those that have served other men, haply may injure 

by their evils ; 
Or otherwise may hinder by their glories ; therefore, set 

him by himself, 
To win for his individual name some clear specific praise. 
There were nine Homers, all goodly sons of song, but 

where is any record of the eight ? 
One grew to fame, an Aaron's rod, and swallowed up his 

brethren : 
Who knoweth ? more distinctly titled, those dead eight 

had lived ; 
But the censers were ranged in a circle to mingle their 

sweets without a difference. 

&rt thou named of a common crowd, and sensible of 

high aspirings ? 
It is hard for thee to rise, — yet strive : thou mayest be 

among them a Musaeus. 
Art thou named of a family, the same in successive gene- 
rations ? 
It is open to thee still to earn for epithets, such an one, 

the good or great. 
Art thou named foolishly ? Show that thou art wiser than 

thy fathers, 
Live to shame their vanity or sin by dutiful devotion to 

thy sphere. 
Art thou named discreetly? It is well, the course is 

free : 
No competitor shall claim thy colours, neither fix his 

faults upon thee : 
Hasten to the goal of fame between the posts of duty, 
And win a blessing from the world, that men may love 

thy name : 



m gamw. 437 

Yea, that the unction of its praise, in fragrance well de- 

serving, 
May float adown the stream of time, like ambergris at 

sea; 
So thy sons may tell their sons, and those may teach their 

children, 
He died in goodness, as he lived ; — and left us his good 

name. 
And more than these : there is a roll whereon thy name 

is written ; 
See that, in the Book of Doom, that name is fixed in 

light : _ 
Then, safe within a better home, where time and its 

titles are not found, 
God will give thee His new Name, and write it on thy 

heart : 
A Name, better than of sons, a Name dearer than of 

daughters, 
A Name of union, peace, and praise, as numbered in thy 

God. 



438 



4Df %\mp. 



<3bgtVXttttJ from all substance, and flying with the 

feathered flock of thoughts, 
The idea of a thing hath the nature of its Soul, a 

separate seeming essence : 
Intimately linked to the idea, suggesting many qualities, 
The name of a thing hath the nature of its Mind, an in- 
tellectual recorder : 
And the matter of a thing, concrete, is a Body to the 

perfect creature, 
Compacted three in one, as all things else within the 

universe. 
Nothing canst thou add to them, and nothing take away, 

for all have these proportions, 
The thought, the word, the form, combining in the 

Thing : 
All separate, yet harmonizing well, and mingled each 

with other, 
One whole in several parts, yet each part spreading to a 

whole : 



#f Swings- 439 

The idea is a whole ; and the meaning phrase that spake 

idea, a whole ; 
And the matter, as ye see it, is a whole ; the mystery of 

true tri-unity : 
Yea, there is even a deeper mystery, — which none, I wot, 

can fathom, 
Matter, different from properties whereby the solid sub- 
stance is described ; 
For, size and weight, cohesion and the like, live distinct 

from matter, 
Yet who can imagine matter, unendowed with size and 

weight ? 
As in the spiritual, so in the material, man must rest 

with patience, 
And wait for other eyes wherewith to read the books of 

God. 

jHen have talked learnedly of atoms, as if matter could 

be ever indivisible ; 
They talk, but ill are skilled to teach, and darken truth 

by fancies : 
An atom by our grosser sense was never yet conceived, 
And nothing can be thought so small, as not to be 

divided : 
For an atom runneth to infinity, and never shall be 

caught in space, 
And a molecule is no more indivisible than Saturn's 

belted orb. 
Things intangible, multiplied by multitudes, never will 

amass to substance, 
Neither can a thing which may be touched, be made of 

impalpable proportions ; 



440 ©f ®Jwtg$. 

The sum of indivisibles must need be indivisible, as add- 
ing many nothings, 

And the building up of atoms into matter is but a silly 
sophism ; 

Lucretius, and keen Anaximander, and many that have 
followed in their thoughts, 

(For error hath a long black shadow, dimming light for 



In the foolishness of men without a God fancied to 

fashion Matter 
Of intangibles, and therefore uncohering, indivisibles, 

and therefore Spirit. 

©rings breed thoughts ; therefore at Thebes and Helio- 

polis, 
In hieroglyphic sculptures are the priestly secrets 

written : 
Things breed thoughts; therefore was the Athens of 

idolatry 
Set with carved images, frequent as the trees of Acade- 

mus: 
Things breed thoughts ; therefore the Brahmin and the 

Burin an 
With mythologic shapes adorn their coarse pantheon : 
Things breed thoughts ; therefore the statue and the pic- 
ture, 
Kelics, rosaries, and miracles in act, quicken the Papist 

in his worship : 
Things breed thoughts; therefore the lovers at their 

parting, 
Interchanged with tearful smiles the dear reminding 

tokens : 



©f agings, 441 

Things breed thoughts; therefore when the clansman 
met his foe, 

The blood-stained claymore in his hand revived the me- 
mories of vengeance. 

Chings teach with double force ; through the animal eye, 

and through the mind, 
And the eye catcheth in an instant, what the ear shall 

not learn within an hour. 
Thence is the potency of travel, the precious might of 

its advantages 
To compensate its dissipative harm, its toil and cost and 

danger. 
Ulysses, wandering to many shores, lived in many 

cities, 
And thereby learnt the minds of men, and stored his own 

more richly : 
Herodotus, the accurate and kindly, spake of that he 

saw, 
And reaped his knowledge on the spot, in fertile fields 

of Egypt : 
Lycurgus culled from every clime the golden fruits of 

justice ; 
And Plato roamed through foreign lands, to feed on 

truth in all. 
For travel, conversant with Things, bringeth them in 

contact with the mind ; 
We breathe the wholesome atmosphere about ungarbled 

truth : 
Pictures of fact are painted on the eye, to decorate the 

house of intellect, 
Rather than visions of fancy, filling all the chambers 

with a vapour. 



442 #f ffjjtogg. 

For, in Ideas, the great mind will exaggerate, and the 

lesser extenuate truth : 
But in Things the one is chastened, and the other 

quickened, to equality : 
And in Names, — though a property be told, rather than 

some arbitrary accident, 
Still shall the thought be vague or false, if none have 

seen the Thing : 
Tor in Things the property with accident standeth in a 

mass concrete, 
These cannot cheat the sense, nor elude the vigilance of 

spirit. 
Travel is a ceaseless fount of surface education, 
But its wisdom will be simply superficial, if thou add 

not thoughts to things : 
Yet, aided by the varnish of society, things may serve 

for thoughts, 
Till many dullards that have seen the world shall pass 

for scholars : 
Because one single glance will conquer all descriptions, 
Though graphic, these left some unsaid, though true, 

these tended to some error ; 
And the most witless eye that saw, had a juster notion 

of its object, 
Than the shrewdest mind that heard and shaped its 

gathered thoughts of Things. 



443 



§f |attfe. 



Cnnfitfenr^ was bearer of the palm ; for it looked like 
conviction of desert : 

And where the strong is well assured, the weaker soon 
allow it. 

Majesty and Beauty are commingled, in moving with im- 
mutable decision, 

And well may charm the coward hearts that turn and 
hide for fear. 

Faith, firmness, confidence, consistency, — these are well 
allied ; 

Yea, let a man press on in aught, he shall not lack of 
honour : 

For such an one seemeth as superior to the native in- 
stability of creatures ; 

That he doeth, he doeth as a god, and men will marvel 
at his courage. 

Even in crimes, a partial praise cannot be denied to 
daring, 



444 ©f <f Hitfc. 

And many fearless chiefs have won the friendship of a 
foe. 

Confidence is conqueror of men; victorious both over 
them and in them ; 

The iron will of one stout heart shall make a thousand 
quail : 

A feeble dwarf, dauntlessly resolved, will turn the tide of 
battle, 

And rally to a nobler strife the giants that had fled ; 

The tenderest child, unconscious of a fear, will shame 
the man to danger, 

And when he dared it, danger died, and faith had van- 
quished fear. 

Boldness is akin to power : yea, because ignorance is 



Knowledge with unshrinking might will nerve the 

vigorous hand : 
Boldness hath a startling strength ; the mouse may fright 

a lion, 
And oftentimes the horned herd is scared by some brave 

cur. 
Courage hath analogy with faith, for it standeth both in 

animal and moral ; 
The true is mindful of a God, the false is stout in self : 
But true or false, the twain are faith ; and faith worketh 

wonders : 
Never was a marvel done upon the earth, but it had 

sprung of faith : 
Nothing noble, generous, or great, but faith was the root 

of the achievement ; 
Nothing comely, nothing famous, but its praise is faith. 



©f $m% 445 

Leonidas fought in human faith, as Joshua in divine : 

Xenophon trusted to his skill, and the sons of Matta- 
thias to their cause : 

In faith Columbus found a path across those untried 
waters ; 

The heroines of Arc and Saragossa fought in earthly 
faith : 

Tell was strong, and Alfred great, and Luther wise, by- 
faith ; 

Margaret by faith was valiant for her son, and Wallace 
mighty for his people : 

Faith in his reason made Socrates sublime, as faith in 
his science, Galileo ; 

Ambassadors in faith are bold, and unreproved for bold- 
ness; 

Faith urged Fabius to delays, and sent forth Hannibal 
to Cannae : 

Caesar at the Rubicon, Miltiades at Marathon ; both were 
sped by faith. 

I set not all in equal spheres : I number not the martyr 
with the patriot ; 

I class not the hero with his horse, because the twain 
have courage ; 

But only for ensample and instruction, that all things 
stand by faith ; 

Albeit faith of divers kinds, and varying in degree. 

There is a faith towards men, and there is a faith to- 
wards God ; 

The latter is the gold and the former is the brass ; but 
both are sturdy metal : 

And the brass mingled with the gold floweth into rich 
Corinthian ; 



446 #f <$*% 

A substance bright and hard and keen, to point Achilles' 

spear : 
So shalt thou stop the way against the foes that hem 

thee; 
Trust in God to strengthen man ; — be bold, for He doth 

help. 

get more : for confidence in man, even to the worst and 

meanest, 
Hath power to overcome his ill, by charitable good. 
Fling thine unreserving trust even on the conscience of 

a culprit, 
Soon wilt thou shame him by thy faith, and he will melt 

and mend : 
The nest of thieves will harm thee not, if thou dost bear 

thee boldly ; 
Boldly, yea and kindly, as relying on their honour : 
For the hand so stout against aggression, is quite dis- 
armed by charity : 
And that warm sun will thaw the heart casehardened by 

long frost. 
Treat men gently, trust them strongly, if thou wish their 

weal; 
Or cautious doubt and bitter thoughts will tempt the 

best to foil thee. 
Believe the well in sanguine hope, and thou shalt reap 

the better ; 
But if thou deal with men so ill, thy dealings make them 

worse. 
Despair not of some gleams of good still lingering in 

the darkest, 
And among veterans in crime, plead thou as with their 

children : 



©f Jai% 447 

So, astonied at humanities, the bad heart long estranged, 
Shall even weep to feel himself so little worth thy love ; 
In wholesome sorrow will he bless thee; yea, and in that 

spirit may repent ; 
Thus wilt thou gain a soul, in mercy given to thy faith. 

Hook aside to lack of faith, the mass of ills it bringeth : 
All things treacherous, base, and vile, dissolving the 

brotherhood of men. 
Bonds break ; the cement hath lost its hold ; and each 

is separate from other; 
That which should be neighbourly and good, is cankered 

into bitterness and evil. 
thou serpent, fell Suspicion, coiling coldly round the 

heart, — 
thou asp of subtle Jealousy, stinging hotly to the 

soul, — 
distrust, reserve, and doubt, — what reptile shapes are 

here, 
Poisoning the garden of a world with death among its 

flowers ! 
No need of many words, the tale is easy to be told ; 
A point will touch the truth, a line suggest the picture. 
For if, in thine own home, a cautious man and captious, 
Thou hintest at suspicion of a servant, thou soon wilt 

make a thief; 
Or if, too keen in care, thou dost evidently disbelieve 

thy child, 
Thou hast injured the texture of his honour, and 

smoothed to him the way of lying ; 
Or if thou observest upon friends, as seeking thee sel- 
fishly for interest, 



448 ®t gmfy. 

Thou hast hurt their kindliness to thee, and shalt be 

paid with scorn : 
Or if, silly ones of Marriage, your foul and foolish 

thoughts, 
Harshly misinterpreting in each the levity of innocence 

for sin, 
Shall pour upon the lap of home, pain where once was 

pleasure, 
And mix contentions in the cup, that mantled once with 

comforts, 
Bitterly and justly shall ye rue the punishment due to 

unbelief; 
Ye trust not each the other, nor the mutual vows of 

God; 
Take heed, for the pit may now be near, a pit of your 

own digging, — 
Faith abused tempteth unto crime, and doubt may make 

its monster. 

Jtftan verily is vile, but more in capability than action ; 

His sinfulness is deep, but his transgressions may be 
few, even from the absence of temptation : 

He is hanging in a gulph midway, but the air is breath- 
able about him : 

Thrust him not from that slight hold, to perish in the 
vapours underneath. 

For, God pleadeth with the deaf, as having ears to hear, 

Christ speaketh to the dead, as those that are capable of 
living ; 

And an evil teacher is that man, a tempter to much sin, 

Who looketh on his hearers with distrust, and hath no 
confidence in brethren. 



•f imt\. ' 449 

All may mend ; and sympathies are healing : and reason 

hath its influence with the worst; 
And in those worst is ample hope, if only thou hast 

charity, and faith. 

JS>omewhiles have I watched a man exchanging the 

sohriety of faith, 
Old lamps for new, — even for fanatical excitements. 
He gained surface, but lost solidity; heat, in lieu of 

health ; 
And still with swelling words and thoughts he scorned 

his ancient coldness : 
But, his strength was shorn as Samson's ; he walked he 

knew not whither ; 
Doubt was on his daily path; and duties showed not 

certain. 
Until, in an hour of enthusiasm, stung with secret 

fears, 
He pinned the safety of his soul on some false prophet's 

sleeve : 
And then, that sure word failed ; and with it, failed his 

faith ; 
It failed, and fell ; deep and dreadful was his fall in 

faith ! 
He could not stop, with reason's rein, his coursers on 

the slope, 
And so they dashed him down the cliff of hardened un- 
belief. 
With overreaching grasp he had strained for visionary 

treasures, 
But a fiend had cheated his presumption, and hurled 

him to despair. 

G G 



450 ®i $mi\. 

So lie lay in his blood, the victim of a credulous false 

faith, 
And many nights, and night-like days, he dwelt in outer 

darkness. 
But, within a while, his variable mind caught a new im- 
pression, 
A new impression of the good old stamp, that sealed 

him when a child : 
He was softened, and abjured his infidelity; he was 

wiser, and despised his credulity ; 
And turned again to simple faith more simply than 

before. 
Experience had declared too well his mind was built of 

water, 
And so, renouncing strength in self, he fixed his faith in 

God 

$t is not for me to stipulate for creeds ; Bible, Church, 
and Eeason, 

These three shall lead the mind, if any can, to 
truth. 

But I must stipulate for faith ; both God and man de- 
mand it : 

Trust is great in either world, if any would be well. 

Verily, the sceptical propensity is an universal foe ; 

Sneering Pyrrho never found, nor cared to find, a 
friend : 

How could he trust another ? and himself, whom would 
he not deceive ? 

His proper gains were all his aim, and interests clash 
with kindness. 

So, the Bedouin goeth armed, an enemy to all, 



•f Jfaitfc. 451 

The spear is stuck beside his couch, the dagger hid be- 
neath his pillow. 

For society, void of mutual trust, of credit, and of 
faith, 

Would fall asunder as a waterspout, snapped from the 
cloud's attraction. 

JFaith may rise into miracles of might, as some few wise 

have shown : 
Faith may sink into credulities of weakness, as the mass 

of fools have witnessed. 
Therefore, in the first, saints and martyrs have fulfilled 

their mission, 
Conquering dangers, courting deaths, and triumphing 

in all. 
Therefore, in the last, the magician and the witch, 

victims of their own delusion, 
Have gained the bitter wages of impracticable sins. 
They believed in allegiance with Satan ; they worked in 

that belief, 
And thereby earned the loss and harm of guilt that 

might not be. 
For, faith hath two hands ; with the one it addeth virtue 

to indifferents ; 
Yea, it sanctified a Judith and a Jael, for what otherwise 

were treachery and murder : 
With the other hand it heapeth crime even on impos- 
sibles or simples, 
And .many a wizard well deserved the faggot for his 

faith : 
He trusted in his intercourse with evil, he sacrificed 

heartily to fiends, 

g g 2 



452 <©f Jfaftfe. 

He withered up with curses to the limit of his will, and 
was vile, because he thought himself a villain. 

<M, great mind is ready to believe, for he hungereth to 

feed on facts, 
And the gnawing stomach of his ignorance craveth un- 
ceasing to be filled ; 
A little mind is boastful and incredulous, for he fancieth 

all knowledge is his own, 
So will he cavil at a truth ; how should it be true, and 

he not know it ? — 
There is an easy scheme, to solve all riddles by the 

sensual, 
And thus, despising mysteries, to feel the more suffi- 
cient : 
For it comforteth the foul hard heart, to reject the pure 

unseen, 
And relieve th the dull soft head, to hinder one from 

gazing upon vacancy. 
True wisdom, labouring to expound, heareth others 

readily ; 
False wisdom, sturdy to deny, closeth up her mind to 

argument. 
The sum of certainties is found so small, their field so 

wide an universe, 
That many things may truly be, which man hath not 

conceived : 
The characters revealed of God are a strong mind's sole 

assurance 
That any strangeness may not stand a sober theme for 

faith. 
Ignorance being light denied, this ought to show the 

stronger in its view, 



•f ivatig. 453 

But ignorance is commonly a double negative, both of 

light and morals : 
So, adding vanity to blindness, for ease, it taketh refuge 

in a doubt, 
And aching soon with ceaseless doubt, it finisheth the 

strife by misbelieving. 

jfaith, by its very nature, shall embrace both credence 

and obedience : 
Yea, the word for both is one, and cannot be divided. 
For, work void of faith, wherein can it be counted for a 

duty; 
And faith not seen in work, — whereby can the doctrine 

be discovered? 
Faith in religion is an instrument; a handle, and the 

hand to turn it : 
Less a condition than a mean, and more an operation 

than a virtue. 
A moral sickness, like to sin, must have a moral 

cure; 
And faith alone can heal the mind, whose malady is 

sense. 
Ye are told of God's deep love : they that believe will 

love Him : 
They that love Him, will obey : and obedience hath its 

blessing. 
Ye are taught of the soul's great price ; they that believe 

will prize it, 
And, prizing soul, will cherish well the hopes that make 

it happy. 
Effects spring from feelings, and feelings grow of 

faith : 



454 m Jex% 

If a man conceive himself insulted, will not his anger 

smite ? 
Thus, let a soul believe his state, his danger, destiny, 

redemption, 
Will he not feel eager to be safe, like him that kept the 

prison at Philippi ? 

£1 mother had an only son, and sent him out to sea : 
She was a widow, and in penury; and he must seek his 

fortunes. 
How often in the wintry nights, when waves and winds 

were howling, 
Her heart was torn with sickening dread, and bled to 

see her boy. 
And on one sunny morn, when all around was com- 
fort, 
News came, that weeks agone, the vessel had been 

wrecked ; 
Yea, wrecked, and he was dead ! they had seen him 

perish in his agony : 
Oh then, what agony was like to her's, — for she believed 

the tale. 
She was bowed and broken down with sorrow, and un- 

comforted in prayer ; 
Many nights she mourned, and pined, and had no hope 

but death. 
But on a day, while sorely she was weeping, a stranger 

broke upon her loneliness, — 
He had news to tell, that weather-beaten man, and must 

not be denied : 
And what were the wonder-working words that made 

this mourner joyous, 



m <#aitjj, 455 

That swept her heaviness away, and filled her world with 

praise ? 
Her son was saved, — is alive, — is near ! — did she stop 

to question? 
No, rushing in the force of faith, she met him at the 

door ! 



456 



WX is vanity which is not honesty; — thus is it graven 

on the tomh : 
And there is no wisdom hut in piety ; — so the dead man 

preacheth : 
For, in a simple village church, among those classic 

shades 
Which sylvan Evelyn loved to rear, (his praise, and my 

delight,) 
These, the words of truth, are writ upon his sepulchre 
Who learnt much lore, and knew all trees, from the 

cedar to the hyssop on the wall. 
A just conjunction, godliness and honesty ; ministering 

to hoth worlds, 
Well wed, and ill to he divided, a pair that God hath 

joined together. 
I touch not now the vulgar thought, as of tricks and 

cheateries in trade ; 
I speak of honest purpose, character, speech and action. 



©f jgawrfg, 457 

For an honest man hath special need of charity, and 
prudence, 

Of a deep and humbling self-acquaintance, and of 
blessed commerce with his God, 

So that the keennesses of truth may be freed from asperi- 
ties of censure, 

And the just but vacillating mind be not made the pen- 
dulum of arguments : 

For a false reason, shrewdly put, can often not be an- 
swered on the instant, 

And prudence looketh unto faith, content to wait solu- 
tions ; 

Yea, it looketh, yea, it waiteth, still holding honesty in 
leash, 

Lest, as a hot young hound, it track not game, but 
vermin. 

Many a man of honest heart, but ignorant of self and 
God, 

Hath followed the marsh-fires of pestilence, esteeming 
them the lights of truth ; 

He heard a cause, which he had not skill to solve, — and 
so received it gladly; 

And that cause brought its consequence, of harm to an 
unstable soul. 

Prudence, for a man's own sake, never should be sepa- 
rate from honesty ; 

And charity, for other's good, and his, must still be 
joined therewith : 

For the harshly chiding tongue hath neither pleasuring 
nor profit, 

And the cold unsympathizing heart never gained a good. 



458 ®f j$mi£8tg. 

Sin is a sore, and folly is a fever ; touch them tenderly 

for healing ; 
The bad chirurgeon's awkward knife harmeth, spite of 

honesty. 
Still, a rough diamond is better than the polished 

paste, — 
That courteous flattering fool, who spake of vice as 

virtue : 
And honesty, even by itself, though making many ad- 
versaries 
Whom prudence might have set aside, or charity have 

softened, 
Evermore will prosper at the last, and gain a man great 

honour 
By giving others many goods, to his own cost and 

hindrance. 

^Freedom is father of the honest, and sturdy Indepen- 
dence is his brother; 

These three, with heart and hand, dwell together in 
unity. 

The blunt yeoman, stout and true, will speak unto 
princes unabashed : 

His mind is loyal, just and free, a crystal in its plain in- 
tegrity ; 

What should make such an one ashamed? where 
courtiers kneel, he standeth ; — 

I will indeed bow before the king, but knees were knit 
for God. 

And many such there be, of a high and noble con- 
science, 



§i jjgmixstg. 459 

Honourable, generous, and kind, though blest with 

little light : 
What should he barter for his Freedom? some petty 

gain of gold ? 
Free of speech, and free in act, magnates honour him 

for boldness : 
Long may he flourish in his peace, and a stalwarth race 

around him, 
Eooted in the soil like oaks, and hardy as the pine upon 

the mountains ! 

get, there be others, that will truckle to a lie, selling 

honesty for interest : 
And do they gain ? — they gain but loss ; a little cash, 

with scorn. 
Behold, the sorrowful change wrought upon a fallen 

nature : 
He hath lost his own esteem, and other men's respect ; 
For the buoyancy of upright faith, he is clothed in the 

heaviness of cringing ; 
For plain truth where none could err, he hath chosen 

tortuous paths ; 
In lieu of his majesty of countenance — the timorous 

glances of servility ; 
Instead of Freedom's honest pride, — the spirit of a slave. 

Nevertheless, there is something to be pleaded, even for 

a necessary guile, 
Whilst the world, and all that is therein, lieth deep in 

evil. 
Who can be altogether honest, — a champion never out 

of mail, 



460 ®f f anzzty. 

Ready to break a lance for truth with every crowding 
error? 

Who can be altogether honest, — dragging out the 
secresies of life, 

And risking to be lashed and loathed for each unkind 
disclosure ? 

Who can be altogether honest, — living in perpetual 
contentions, 

And prying out the petty cheats that swell the social 
scheme ? 

For he must speak his instant mind, — a mind corrupt 
and sinful, 

Exhibiting to other men's disgust its undisguised de- 
formities : 

He must utter all the hatred of his heart, and add to it 
the venom of his tongue ; 

Shall he feel, and hide his feelings ? that were the mean- 
ness of a hypocrite. — 

Still, man, such hypocrisy is better, than this bold 
honesty to sin : 

Kill the feeling, or conceal it : let shame at least do the 
work of charity. 

& charity, thou livest not in warnings, meddling among 
men, 

Rebuking every foolish word, and censuring small sins ; 

This is not thy secret, — rather wilt thou hide their mul- 
titude, 

And silence the condemning tongue, and wearisome ex- 
hortation. 

But for thee, thy strength and zeal shine in encourage- 
ment to good, 



©f liomstg. 461 

Lifting up the lantern of ensainple, that wanderers may 

rind the way : 
That lantern is not lit to gaze on all the hatefulness of 

evil. 
But set on high for life and light, the loveliness of 

good. 
The hard censorious mind sitteth as a keen anatomist 
Tracking up the fibres in corruption, and prying on a 

fearful corpse : 
But the charitable soul is a young lover, enamoured 

little wisely. 
That saw no fault in her he loved, and sought to see one 

less: 
So, in his kind and genial light, she grew more worthy 

of his love : 
Won to good by gentle suns, and not by frowning 

tempest. 

Eerily, infirm thyself, — be slow to chide a brother's 

imperfections ; 
For many times the decent veil must hang on faults of 

nature : 
And the rude hands, that rend it, offend against the 

modesty of right, 
While seeming zeal, and its effort to do good, is only 

feigned self-praise : 
Often will the meannesses of life, hidden away in 

comers. 
Prove wisdom : and the generous is glad to leave them 

unregarded in the shade. 
The follies none are found to praise, let them die un- 

blamed : 



462 ®f fmwstg. 

Thine honest strife will only tend to make some think 

them wise : 
And small conventional deceits, let them live uncen- 

sured : 
Or if thou war with pigmies, thou shalt haply help the 

cranes. 
Where to he "blind was safety, Ovid had heen wise for 

winking : 
And when a tell-tale might do harm, he sure it is prudent 

to he dumh ; 
That which is just and fit is often found combating with 

honesty : 
In the cause of good, he wise ; and in a case indifferent, 

keep silence. 

Het honesty's unblushing face be shaded by the mantle 

of humility, 
So shall it shine a lamp of love, and not the torch of 

strife : 
Otherwise the lantern of Diogenes, presumptuously 

thrust before the face, 
If it never find an honest man, shall often make an 

angered. 
Let honesty be companied by charity of heart, lest it 

walk unwelcome ; 
Or the mouthing censor of others and himself, soon 

shall sink to scorn. 
Let honesty be added unto innocence of life : then a 

man may only be its martyr ; 
But if openness of speech be found with secresy of 

guilt, the martyr will be seen a malefactor. 



®i jpmttrfg, 463 

Chere is a cunning scheme, to put on surface bluntness, 

And cover still deep water, with the clamorous ripples 
of a shallow. 

For a man, to gain his selfish ends, will make a stalking- 
horse of honesty ; 

And hide his poaching limbs behind, that he may cheat 
the quicker. 

Such an one is loud and ostentatious, full of oaths for 
argument, 

Boastful of honour and sincerity, and not to be put down 
by facts : 

He is obstinate, and showeth it for firmness : he is rude, 
displaying it for truth ; 

And glorieth in doggedness of temper, as if it were un- 
compromising justice. 

Be aware of such a man; his brawling covereth de- 
signs ; 

This specious show of honesty cometh as the herald of a 
thief: 

His feint is made with awkward clashing on the buckler's 
boss, 

But meanwhile doth his secret skill ensure its fatal 
aim. 

This is the hypocrite of honesty ; ye may know him by 
an overacted part ; 

Taking pains to turn and twist, where other men walk 
straight ; 

Or walking straight, he will not step aside to let another 



But roughly pusheth on, provoking opposition on the 

way; 
He is full of disquietude for calmness, full of intriguing 

for simplicity, 



464 @f jlmiedg. 

Valorous with those who cannot fight, and humble to the 
brave : 

Where ' brotherly advice were good, this man rudely 
blameth, 

And on some small occasion, flattereth with coarse praise. 

The craven in a lion's skin hath conquered by his cha- 
racter for courage ; 

Sheep's clothing helped the wolf, till he slew by his cha- 
racter for kindness. 

Jfor honesty hath many gains, and well the wise have 
known 

This will prosper to the end, and fill their house with 
gold. 

The phosphorus of cheatery will fade, and all its profits 
perish, 

While honesty with growing light endureth as the 
moon. 

Yea, it would be wise in a world of thieves, where 
cheating were a virtue, 

To dare the vice of honesty, if any would be rich. 

For that which by the laws of God is heightened into 
duty, 

Ever, in the practice of a man, will be seen both policy 
and privilege. 

Thank God, ye toilers for your bread, in that, daily la- 
bouring, 

He hath suffered the bubbles of self-interest to float upon 
the stream of duty : 

For honesty, of every kind, approved by God and man, 

Of wealth and better weal is found the richest cornu- 
copia, 



<M fjorastg. 465 

Tempered by humbleness and charity, honesty of speech 

hath honour ; 
And mingled well with prudence, honesty of purpose 

hath its praise : 
Trust payeth homage unto truth, rewarding honesty of 

action : 
And all men love to lean on him, who never failed nor 

fainted. 
Freedom gloweth in his eyes, and Nobleness of nature at 

his heart, 
And Independence took a crown and fixed it on his 

head : 
So, he stood in his integrity, just and firm of purpose, 
Aiding many, fearing none, a spectacle to angels, and to 

men: 
Yea, — when the shattered globe shall rock in the throes 

of dissolution, 
Still, will he stand in his integrity, sublime — an honest 

man. 



466 



§f Stocwtg. 



Mttttv is the mass of men, Suspicion, than thy fears, 

Kinder than thy thoughts, chilling heart of Pru- 
dence, 

Purer than thy judgments, ascetic tongue of Censure, 

In all things worthier to love, if not also wiser to 
esteem. 

Yea, let the moralist condemn, there he large extenua- 
tions of his verdict, 

Let the misanthrope shun men and ahjure, the most are 
rather loveahle than hateful. 

How many pleasant faces shed their light on every 
side, 

How many angels unawares have crossed thy casual 
way! 

How often, in thy journeyings, hast thou made thee in- 
stant friends, 

Found, to he loved a little while, and lost, to meet no 
more; 



•f ftwitig. 467 

Friends of happy reminiscence, although so transient in 

their converse, 
Liberal, cheerful, and sincere, a crowd of kindly traits. 
I have sped by land and sea, and mingled with much 

people, 
But never yet could find a spot, unsunned by human 

kindness ; 
Some more, and some less, — but truly all can claim a 

little ; 
And a man may travel through the world, and sow it 

thick with friendships. 

{£here be indeed, to say it in all sorrow, bad apostate 

souls, 
Deserted of their ministering angels, and given up to 

liberty of sin, — 
And other some, the miserly and mean, whose eyes are 

keen and greedy, 
With stony hearts, and iron fists, to filch and scrape and 

clutch, — 
And others yet again, the coarse in mind, selfish, sen- 
sual, brutish, 
Seeming as incapable of softer thoughts, and dead to 

better deeds, — 
Such, no lover of the good, no follower of the generous 

and gentle, 
Can nearer grow to love, than may consist with pity. 
Few verily are these among the mass, and cast in fouler 

moulds, 
Few and poor in Mends, and well-deserving of their 

poverty : 

h h 2 



468 ®i ftwidg. 

Yet, or ever thou hast harshly judged, and linked then- 
presence to disgust, 

Consider well the thousand things that made them all 
they are. 

Thou hast not thought upon the causes, ranged in con- 
secutive necessity, 

Which tended long to these effects, with sure constrain- 
ing power : 

For each of those unlovely ones, if thou couldst hear his 
story, 

Hath much to urge of just excuse, at least as men 
count justice : 

Foolish education, thwarted opportunities, natural pro- 
pensities unchecked, — 

Thus were they discouraged from all good, and pam- 
pered in their evil ; 

And, if thou wilt apprehend them well, tenderly looking 
on temptations, 

Bearing the base indulgently, and liberally dealing with 
the froward, 

Thou shalt discern a few fair fruits even upon trees so 
withered, 

Thou shalt understand how some may praise, and some 
be found to love them. 

Nevertheless for these, my counsel is, Avoid them if 
thou canst ; 

For the finer edges of thy virtues will be dulled by at- 
trition with their vice. 

And there is an enemy within thee ; either to palliate 
their sin, 



<®f Sfocittg. 469 

Until, for surface-sweetness, thou too art drawn adown 
the vortex; 

Or, even unto fatal pride, to glorify thy purity by con- 
trast, 

Until the publican and harlot stand nearer heaven than 
the Pharisee : 

Or daily strife against their ill, in subtleness may irritate 
thy soul, 

And in that struggle thou shalt fail, even through in- 
firmity of goodness ; 

Or, callous by continuance of injuries, thou wilt cease to 
pardon, 

Cease to feel, and cease to care, a cold case-hardened 
man. 

Beware of their example, — and thine own; beware the 
hazards of the battle ; 

But chiefly be thou ware of this, an unforgiving spirit. 

Many are the dangers and temptations compassing a bad 
man's presence ; 

The upas hath a poisonous shade, and who would slum- 
ber there ? 

Wherefore, avoid them if thou canst ; only, under pro- 
vidence and duty, 

If thy lot be cast with Kedar, patiently and silently live 
to their rebuke. 

fgow beautiful thy feet, and full of grace thy corning, 
better kind companion, that art well for either world ! 
There is an atmosphere of happiness floating round that 

man, 
Love is throned upon his heart, and light is found within 

his dwelling : 



470 m Sfocxdg. 

His eyes are rayed with peacefulness, and wisdom waiteth 

on his tongue ; 
Seek him out, cherish him well, walking in the halo of 

his influence : 
For he shall be fragrance to thy soul, as a garden of 

sweet lilies, 
Hedged and apart from the outer world, an island of the 

blest among the seas. 

Chere is an outer world, and there is an inner centre ; 

And many varying rings concentric round the self. 

For, first, about a man, — after his communion with 
Heaven, — 

Is found the helpmate even as himself, the wife of his 
vows and his affections: 

See then that ye love in faith, scorning petty jealousies, 

For Satan spoileth too much love, by souring it with 
doubts ; 

See that intimacy die not to indifference, nor anxiety 
sink into moroseness, 

And tend ye well the mutual minds bound in a copart- 
nership for life. 

jlext of those concentric circles, radiating widely in cir- 
cumference, 

Wheel in wheel, and world in world, — come the band of 
children : 

A tender nest of soft young hearts, each to be separately 
studied, 

A curious eager flock of minds, to be severally tamed 
and tutored. 

And a man, blest with these, hath made his own society, 



©f Sf0ridg. 471 

He is independent of the world, hanging on his friends 

more loosely : 
For the little faces round his hearth are friends enow for 

him, 
If he seek others, it is for sake of these, and less for his 

own pleasure. 
What companionship so sweet, yea, who can teach so 

well 
As these pure budding intellects, and bright unsullied 

hearts? 
What voice so musical as theirs, what visions of elegance 

so comely, 
What thoughts and hopes and holy prayers, can others 

cause like these ? 
If ye count society for pastime, — what happier recreation 

than a nurseling, 
Its winning ways, its prattling tongue, its innocence and 

mirth ? 
If ye count society for good, — how fair a field is here, 
To guide these souls to God, and multiply thyself for 

heaven ! 

&nd this sweet social commerce with thy children, 
groweth as their growth, 

Unless thou fail of duty, or have weaned them by thine 
absence. 

Keep them near thee, rear them well, guide, correct, in- 
struct them ; 

And be the playmate of their games, the judge in their 
complainings. 

So shall the maiden and the youth love thee as their 
sympathizing friend, 



472 ®i Sfcrtietj. 

And bring their joys to share with thee, their sorrows for 

consoling : 
Yea, their inmost hopes shall yearn to thee for counsel, 
They will not hide their very loves, if thou hast won 

their trust ; 
But, even as man and woman, shall they gladly seek 

their father, 
Feeling yet as children feel, though void of fear in 

honour : 
And thou shalt be a Nestor in the camp, the just and 

good old man, 
Hearty still, though full of years, and held the friend of 

all; 
No secret shall be kept from thee ; for if ill, thy wisdom 

may repair it ; 
If well, thy praise is precious ; and they would not miss 

that prize. 
the blessing of a home, where old and young mix 

kindly, 
The young unawed, the old unchilled, in unreserved 

communion ! 

that refuge from the world, when a stricken son or 

daughter 

May seek, with confide ace of love, a father's hearth and 
heart ; 

Sure of a welcome, though others cast them out; of 
kindness, though men scorn them ; 

And finding there the last to blame, the earliest to com- 
mend. 

Come unto me, my son, if sin shall have tempted thee 
astray, 

1 will not chide thee like the rest, but help thee to re- 

turn ; 



©f Sorirfg. 473 

Come unto me, my son, if men rebuke and mock thee. 
There always shall be one to bless, — for I am on thy 
side ! 

SPas, — and bitter is their loss, the parents, and the chil- 
dren. 

Who, loving up and down the world, have missed each 
other's friendship. 

Haply, it had grown of careless life, for years go swiftly 

" by; 

Or sprang of too much carefulness, that drank up all 
the streams : 

Haply, sullen disappointment came and quenched the 
fire ; 

Haply, sternness, or misrule, crushed or warped the feel- 
ings. 

Then, ill-combined in tempers, they learnt not each the 
other ; 

The growing child grew out of love, and drew the breath 
of fear ; 

The youth, ill-trained, renounced his fears, and made 
a league with cunning ; 

And so those hardened men were foes, that should have 
been chief Mends. 

Where was the cause, the mutual cause ? hunt it out 
to kill it : 

And what the cure, the simple cure ? — A mutual flash of 
love. 

For dull estrangement's daily air froze up those early 
sympathies 

By cold continuance in apathy, or cutting winds of cen- 
sure ; 



474 M £oatt%. 

It was a slow process, which any fleeting hour could have 

melted ; 
But every hour duly came, and passed without the sun. 
Caution, care, and dry distrust, obscured each other's 

minds, 
Till both those gardens, rich to yield, were rank with 

many weeds : 
And doubt, a hidden worm, gnawed at the root of their 

Society, 
They lacked of mutual confidence, and lived in mutual 

dread. 
Judge me, many fathers ; and hearken to my counsel, 

many sons ; 
I come with good in either hand, to reconcile conten- 
tions ; 
For better friends can no man have, than those whom 

God hath given, 
And he that hath despised the gift, thought ill of that he 

knew not. 
Be ye wiser, — (I speak unto the sons,) — and win paternal 

friendships, 
Cultivate their kindness, seek them out with honour, 

and be the screening Japheth to their failings : 
And be ye wiser, — (I speak unto the fathers,) — gain those 

filial comrades, 
Cherish their reasonable converse, and look not with 

coldness on your children. 
For the friendship of a child is the brightest gem set 

upon the circlet of Society, 
A jewel worth a world of pains — a jewel seldom seen. 

Che third cycle on the waters, another of those rings 
upon the onyx, 



©f Storidg. 475 

A further definite broad zone, holdeth kith and kin : 
A motley band of many tribes, and under various ban- 
ners; 
The intimate and strangers, the known and loved, or 

only seen for loathing : 
Some, dear for their deserts, shall honour and have 

honour of relationship, 
Some, despising duties, will add to it both burden and 

disgrace. 
A man's nearest kin are oftentimes far other than his - 

dearest, 
Yet in the season of affliction those will haste to help 

him. 
For, note thou this, the Providence of God hath bound 

up families together, 
To mutual aid and patient trial; yea, those ties are 

strong. 
Friends are ever dearer in thy wealth, but relations to be 

trusted in thy need, 
For these are God's appointed way, and those the choice 

of man : 
There is lower warmth in kin, but smaller truth in 

friends, 
The latter show more surface, and the first have more of 

depth. 
Relations rally to the rescue, even in estrangement and 

neglect, 
Where friends will have fled at thy defeat, even after pro- 
mises and kindness. 
For Mends come and go, the whim that bound may 

loose them, 



476 ftf »oaxtg. 

But none can dissever a relationship, and Fate hath tied 
the knot. 

SHide, and edged with shadowy bounds, a distant boule- 
vard to the city, 

The common crowd of social life is buzzing round 
about : 

That is as the outer court, with all defences levelled, 

Ranged around a man's own fortress, and his father's 
house. 

For many friends go in and out, and praise thee, finding 
pasture, 

And some are honey-comb to-day, who turn to gall to- 
morrow : 

And many a garrulous acquaintance with his frequent 
visit 

Will spend his leisure to thy cost, selling dullness 
dearly : 

For the idle call is a heavy tax, where time is counted 
gold, 

And even in the day of relaxation, haply he may spare 
his presence, — 

He found himself alone, and came to talk, — till they that 
hear are tired ; 

Let the man bethink him of an errand, that his face be 
not unwelcome. 

38ut many friends there be, both well and wisely 

greeted, 
Gladly are they hailed upon the hills, and are chidden 

that they come so seldom. 



®f Sarirfg. 477 

Of such are the early recollections, school friendships 

that have thriven to grey hairs, 
And veteran men are young once more, and talk of boy- 
ish pranks ; 
And such, yet older on the list, are those who loved thy 

father, 
Thy father's friend, and thine, who tendereth thee tried 

love: 
Such also, many gentle hearts, whom thou hast known 

too lately, 
Hastening now to learn their worth, and chary of those 

minutes ; 
And such, thy faithful pastor, coming to thy home with 

peace ; — 
Greet the good man heartily, — and hid thy children bless 

him ! 

;j&any thoughts, many thoughts, — who can catch them 

all? 
The best are ever swiftest winged, the duller lag be- 
hind; 
For, behold, in these vast themes, my mind is as a forest 

of the West, 
And flocking pigeons come in clouds, and bend the 

groaning branches ; 
Here for a rest, then off and away, — they have sped to 

other climes, 
And leave me to my peace once more, a holiday from 

thoughts. 
I dare not lure them back, for the mighty subject of 

Society 



478 ®i Storietg. 

Would tempt to many a hackneyed note in many a 

weary key : 
Sage warnings, stout advice, experiences ever to be 

learned, 
The foolish floatiness of vanity, and solemn trumperies 

of pride, — 
Economy, the poor man's mint, — extravagance, the rich 

man's pitfall, 
Harmful copings with the better, and empty-headed 

apings of the worse, 
Circumstance and custom, sympathies, antipathies, di- 
verse kinds of conversation, 
Vapid pleasures, the weariness of gaiety, the strife and 

bustle of the world, 
Home comforts, the miseries of style, the cobweb lines 

of etiquette, 
The hollowness of courtesies, and substance of deceits, — 

idleness, business, and pastime, — 
The multitude of matters to be done, the when, and 

where, and how, 
And varying shades of character, to do, undo, or miss 

them, — 
All these, and many more alike, thick converging 

fancies, 
Flit in throngs about my theme, as honey-bees at even 

to their hive. 
Find an end, or make one : these seeds are dragon's 

teeth : 
Sown thoughts grow to things, and fill that field, the 

world : 
Many wise have gone before, and used the sickle 

well; 



#f S0ti% 479 

Who can find a corner now, where none have bound the 

sheaves ? 
So, other some may reap : I do but glean and gather : 
My sorry handful hath been culled after the ripe harvest 

of Society. 



480 



®f Mtofo 



hath known his hrother, — or found him in his 
freedom unrestrained ? 

Even he, whose hidden glance hath watched his deepest 
Solitude. 

For we walk the world in domino, putting on characters 
and hahits, 

And wear a social Janus mask, while others stand 
around : 

I speak not of the hypocrite, nor dream of meant de- 
ceptions, 

But of that quick unconscious change, whereof the best 
know most. 

For mind hath its influence on mind ; and no man is 
free hut when alone ; 

Yea, let a dog he watching thee, its eye will tend to thy 
restraint. 

Self-possession cannot he so perfect, with another intel- 
lect beside thee, 



#f Stolitate. 481 

It is not as a natural result, but rather the educated pro- 
duce. 
The presence of a second spirit must control thine 

own, 
And throw it off its equipoise of peace, to balance by an 

effort. 
The common minds of common men know of this but 

little ; 
What then ? they know nothing of themselves : I speak 

to those who know. 
The consciousness that some are hearing, cometh as a 

care, 
The sense that some are watching near, bindeth thee to 

caution ; 
And the tree of tender nerves shrinketh as a touched 

mimosa, 
Drooping like a plant in drought, with half its strength 

decayed. 
There are antipathies warning from the many, and sym 

pathies drawing to the few, 
But merchant-minds have crushed the first, and cannot 

feel the latter : 
Whereas to the quickened apprehension of a keen and 

spiritual intellect, 
Antipathies are galling, and sympathies oppress, and 

solitude is quiet. 

|ge that dwelleth mainly by himself, heedeth most of 

others, 
But they that live in crowds, think chiefly of them- 



There is indeed a selfish seeming, where the anchorite 
liveth alone, . i 1 



482 #f SMitate. 

But probe his thoughts, — they travel far, dreaming for 
ever of the world : 

And there is an apparent generosity, when a man mixeth 
freely with his fellows, 

But prove his mind, by day and night, his thoughts are 
all of self : 

The world, inciting him to pleasures, or relentlessly pro- 
voking him to toil, 

Is full of anxious rivals, each with a difference of in- 
terest ; 

So must he plan and practise for himself, even as his 
own best friend ; 

And the gay soul of dissipation never had a thought un- 
selfish. 

The hermit standeth out of strife, abiding in a contem- 
plative calmness ; 

What shall he contemplate, — himself? a meagre theme 
for musing : 

He hath cast off follies, and kept aloof from cares ; a 
man of simple wants ; 

God and the soul, these are his excuse, a just excuse, 
for solitude : 

But he carried with him to his cell the half-dead feelings 
of humanity : 

There were they rested and refreshed ; and he yearned 
once more on men. 



is the wise, or the learned, or the good, that 
sought not solitude for thinking, 

And from seclusion's secret vale brought forth his pre- 
cious fruits ? 

Forests of Aricia, your deep shade mellowed Numa's 
wisdom, 



•f Sotihtoi. 483 

Peaceful gardens of Vaucluse, ye nourished Petrarch's 

love; 
Solitude made a Cineinnatus, ripening the hero and the 

patriot, 
And taught De Stael self-knowledge, even in the damp 

Bastile; 
It fostered the piety of Jerome, matured the labours of 

Augustine, 
And gave imperial Charles religion for Ambition : 
That which Scipio praised, that which Alfred practised, 
Which fired Demosthenes to eloquence, and fed the 

mind of Milton, 
Which quickened zeal, nurtured genius, found out the 

secret things of science, 
Helped repentance, shamed folly, and comforted the 

good with peace, — 
By all men just and wise, by all things pure and per- 
fect, 
How truly, Solitude, art thou the fostering nurse of 



Enough; — the theme is vast; sear me these necks of 

Hydra: 
What shall drive away the thoughts nocking to this 

carcase? 
Yea, — that all which man may think, hath long been 

said of Solitude ; 
For many wise have proved and preached its evils and 

its good : 
I cannot add, — I will not steal; enough, for all is 

spoken : 
Yet heed thou these for practice, and discernment among 

men. i i 2 



484 #f Stolfote. 

Chere are pompous talkers, solemn, oracular, and dull : 

Track them from society to solitude ; and there ye find 
them fools. 

There are light-hearted jesters, taking up with company 
for pastime ; 

How speed they when alone? — serious, wise, and 
thoughtful. 

And wherefore? "both are actors, saving when in soli- 
tude, 

There they live their truest life, and all things show sin- 
cere : 

But the fool "by pomposity of speech striveth to he 
counted wise, 

And the wise, for holiday and pleasance, playeth with the 
fool's hest bauhle. 

The solemn seemer, as a rule, will be found more igno- 
rant and shallow 

Than those who laugh both loud and long, content to 
hide their knowledge. 

jfor thee ; seek thou Solitude, but neither in excess nor 
morosely ; 

Seek her for her precious things, and not of thine own 
pride. 

For there, separate from a crowd, the still small voice 
will talk with thee, 

Truth's whisper, heard and echoed by responding con- 
science ; 

There, shalt thou gather up the ravelled skeins of 
feeling, 

And mend the nets of usefulness, and rest awhile for 
duties : 



•f SMitote. 485 

There, thou shalt hive thy lore, and eat the fruits of 

study, 
For Solitude delighteth well to feed on many thoughts : 
There, as thou sittest peaceful, communing with fancy, 
The precious poetry of life shall gild its leaden cares : 
There, as thou walkest by the sea, beneath the gentle 

stars, 
Many kindling seeds of good will sprout within thy 

soul ; 
Thou shalt weep in Solitude, — thou shalt pray in Soli- 
tude, 
Thou shalt sing for joy of heart, and praise the grace of 

Solitude. 
Pass on, pass on ! — for this is the path of wisdom : 
God make thee prosper on the way ; I leave thee well 
with SoHtude. 



486 



%\t €nk 



1&btV% beginning is shrouded in a mist, those vague 

ideas beyond, 
And the traveller setteth on his journey, oppressed with 

many thoughts, 
Balancing his hopes and fears, and looking for some 

order in the chaos, 
Some secret path between the cliffs, that seem to bar his 

way: 
So, he commenceth at a clue, unravelling its tangled 

skein, 
And boldly speedeth on to thread the labyrinth before 

him. 
Then as he gropeth in the darkness, light is attendant 

on his steps, 
He walketh straight in fervent faith, and difficulties 

vanish at his presence ; 
The very flashing of his sword scattereth those shadowy 

foes; 



%\t $nir. 487 

Confident and sanguine of success, he goeth forth con- 
quering and to conquer. 

<£very middle is burdened with a weariness, — to have to 

go as far again, — 
And Diligence is sick at heart, and Enterprize foot- 
sore : 
That which began in zeal, bursting as a fresh-dug 

spring, 
Goeth on doggedly in toil, and hath no help of nature : 
Then, is need of moral might, to wrestle with the animal 

re-action, 
Still to fight, with few men left, and still though faint 

pursuing. 
The middle is a marshy flat, whereon the wheels go 

heavily, 
With clouds of doubt above, and ruts of discouragement 

below : 
Press on, sturdy traveller, yet a league, and yet a 

league ! 
While every step is binding wings on thy victorious 

feet. 

C£very end is happiness, the glorious consummation of 

design, 
The perils past, the fears annulled, the journey at its 

close : 
And the traveller resteth in complacency, home-returned 

at last : 
Work done may claim its wages, the goal gained hath 

won its prize : 
While the labour lasted, while the race was running, 



488 % ««*>• 

Many-times the sinews ached, and half refused the 
struggle : 

But now, all is quietness, a pleasant hour given to re- 
pose; 

Calmness in the retrospect of good, and calmness in the 
prospect of a Messing. 

Hope was glad in the beginning, and fear was sad mid- 
way, 

But sweet fruition cometh in the end, a harvest safe and 
sure. 

That which is, can never not have been : facts are solid 
as the pyramids : 

A thing done is written in the rock, yea, with a pen of 
iron. 

Uncertainty no more can scare, the proof is seen com- 
plete, 

Nor accident render unaccomplished, for the deed is 
finished. 

Thus the end shall crown the work, with grace, grace, 
unto the topstone, 

And the work shall triumph in its crown, with peace, 
peace, unto the builder. 

5 have written, as other some of old, in quaint and mean- 
ing phrase, 

Of many things for either world, a crowd of facts and 
fancies : 

And will ye judge me, men of mind? — judge in kindly 
calmness ; 

For bitter words of haste or hate have often been re- 
pented. 

Deep dreaming upon surface reading ; imagery crowded 
over argument ; 



%\t finfr. 489 

Order less considered in the multitude of thoughts : 

this witnessing is just. 
Scripture gave the holier themes, the well-turned words 

and wisdom ; 
While Fancy on her swallow's wing skimmed those 

deeper waters. 
And wilt thou say with shrewdness, — He hath burnished 

up old truths, 
But where he seemed to fashion new, the novelty was 

false? 
Alas, for us in these last days, our elders reaped the 

harvest : 
Alas, for all men in all times, who glean so many tares ! 
That which is true, how should it he new ? for time is 

old in years : 
That which is new, how should it be true? for I am 

young in wisdom. 

Nevertheless, I have spoken at my best, according to the 

mercies given me, 
Of high, and deep, and famous things, of Evil, or of 

Good. 
I have told of Errors near akin to Truth, and whole- 
somes linked with poison ; 
Of subtle Uses in the humblest, and the deep-laid plots 

of Pride : 
I have praised Wisdom, comforted thy Hope, and 

proved to thee the folly of Complainings ; 
Hinted at the hazard of an Influence, and turned thee 

from the terrors of Ambition. 
I have shown thee thy Captivity to Law ; yet bade thee 

hide Humilities : 



490 Sjp ««&. 

T have lifted the curtains of Memory : and smoothed the 
soft pillow of Best. 

Experience had his soher hour; and Character its keen 
appreciation ; 

And holy Anger stood sublime, where Hatred fell con- 
demned. 

Prayer spake the mind of God, even in His own good 
words : 

And Zeal, with kindness warmly mixt, allied him to 
Discretion. 

T taught thee that nothing is a Trifle, even to the laugh 
of Eecreation ; 

I led thee with the Train of Religion, to be dazzled at 
the name of the Triune. 

Thought confessed his unseen fears ; and Speech de- 
clared his triumphs ; 

I sang the blessedness of Books; and commended the 
prudence of a Letter : 

Riches found their room, either unto honour — or de- 
spising : 

Inventions took their lower place, for all things come of 
God. 

I scorned Eidicule ; nor would humble me for Praise ; 
for I had gained Self-knowledge ; 

And pleaded fervently for Brutes, who suffer for man's 
sin. 

Then, I rose to Friendship ; and bathed in all the ten- 
derness of Love ; 

Knew the purity of Marriage ; and blest the face of 
Children. 

And whereas, by petulance or pride, I had haply said 
some evil, 



&\t <&vib. 491 

Mine after-thought was Tolerance, to bear the faults of 

aU: 
Many faults, ill to bear, bred the theme of Sorrow ; 
Many virtues, dear to see, induced the gush of Joy. 

Chus, for awhile, as leaving thee in joy, was I loth to 

break that spell ; 
I roamed to other things and thoughts, and fashioned 

other books. 
But in a season of reflection, after many days, 
A thought stood before me in its garment of the past, — 

and lo, a legion with it ! 
They came in thronging bands, — I could not fight nor 

fly them, — 
And so they took me to their tent, the prisoner of 

thoughts. 

Chen, I bade thee greet me well, and heed my cheerful 

counsels ; 
For every day we have a Friend, who changeth not with 

time. 
Gladly did I speak of my commission, for I felt it graven 

on my heart, 
And could not hold my wiser peace, but magnified mine 

office. 
Mystery had left her echoes in my mind, and I dis- 
coursed her secret : 
And thence I turned aside to man, and judged him for 

his Gifts. 
Beauty, noble thesis, had a world of sweets to sing 

of, 



492 Z\ t «nfc 

And dated all her praise from God, the birthday of the 

soul. 
Thence grew Fame; and Flattery came like A gag; 
But this was as the nauseous dregs, of that inspiring 

cup : 
Forth from Flattery sprang in opposition harsh and dull 

Neglect ; 
And kind Contentment's gentle face to smile away the 

sadness. 
Life, all buoyancy and light, and Death, that sullen 

silence, 
Sped the soul to Immortality, the final home of man. 
Then, in metaphysical review, passed a triple troop, 
Swift Ideas, sounding Names, and heavily armed 

Things : 
Faith spake of her achievements even among men her 

brethren ; 
And Honesty, with open mouth, would vindicate himself: 
The retrospect of Social life had many truths to tell of. 
And then I left thee to thy Solitude, learning there of 

Wisdom. 

jfriend and scholar, lover of the right, mine equal kind 

companion, — 
I prize indeed thy favour, and these sympathies are 

dear: 
Still, if thy heart be little with me, wot thou well, my 

brother, 
I canvass not the smiles of praise, nor dread the frowns 

of censure. 
Through many themes in many thoughts, have we held 

sweet converse ; 



S^e ®tt&. 493 

But God alone be praised for mind ! He only is suffi- 
cient. 

And every thought in every theme by prayer had been 
established : 

Who then should fear the face of man, when God hath 
answered prayer ? 

I speak it not in arrogance of heart, but humbly as of 
justice, 

I think it not in vanity of soul, but tenderly, for grati- 
tude, — 

God hath blest my mind, and taught it many truths ; 

And I have echoed some to thee, in weakness, yet sin- 
cerely : 

Yea, though ignorance and error shall have marred those 
lessons of His teaching, 

I stand in mine own Master's praise, or fall to His re- 
proof. 

If thou lovest, help me with thy blessing ; if otherwise, 
mine shall be for thee ; 

If thou approvest, heed my words ; if otherwise, in kind- 
ness be my teacher. 

Many mingled thoughts for self have warped my better 
aim; 

Many motives tempted still, to toil for pride or praise : 

Alas, I have loved pride and praise, like others worse or 
worthier ; 

But hate and fear them now, as snakes that fastened on 
my hand : 

Sceevola burnt both hand and crime ; but Paul flung 
the viper on the fire : 

He shook it off, and felt no harm ; so be it ! I renounce 
them. 



494 ftfye (Rift. 

Eebuke then, if thou wilt rebuke, — but neither hastily 

nor harshly ; 
Or, if thou wilt commend, be it honestly, of right : T 

work for God and good. 



TEA02. 



LONDON : 
G. J. PALMER, SAVOY STREET, STRAND. 



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